By Wendy Anders

Ten percent of Taco Bell Costa Rica‘s workforce is disabled. The fast food restaurant chain leads the country in hiring people with disabilities, reported Costa Rica’s daily La Nación yesterday.

Almost half of the more than 67 disabled workers staffing Taco Bell Costa Rica’s outfits are deaf, many have some degree of cognitive impairment, and one worker is missing an arm. This does not impede in any way the quality or speed of the company’s service, say customers and company managers who spoke onsite with La Nación.

In fact, the difficulties arise when managers impose ideas that disabled employees might be limited at certain tasks, said company representatives to la Nación.

The initiative began a decade ago, reports La Nación, with general manager Mauricio Rodríguez, whose son has Down’s Syndrome.

Rodríguez remembers when he got a call from Ileana Chacón Mora, special education coordinator at the country’s Calle Blanco technical college after Mauricio’s son, Esteban, entered asking why his company didn’t accept disabled workers.

Surprised at first by the question, he then answered simply that no one had ever made such a request before. And thus the project was born, reports La Nación

Chacón began attending Taco Bell’s new employee orientation sessions to learn the ins and outs of the company’s work requirements. She identified tasks that people with disabilities could perform most readily, the best ways for them to adjust to the line-work, and, above all, the best candidates with whom to launch the project.

The first person she placed was a deaf boy. Rodríguez doesn’t remember his name, but knows that he left of his own accord to explore new job possibilities after a short stint with him. And, following in the trend, three years ago, the National Theatre café hired their the first deaf cashier, reported La Nación.

Today, Taco Bell Costa Rica has trainers who know Costa Rica sign language (Lesco), and recruiters and a psychologist who also are fluent in signing. Other team members are starting to learn Lesco as well, reports La Nación.

The initiative is unique to Taco Bell Costa Rica, and has drawn praise from the U.S.-based multinational’s CEO, Brian Niccol, on a visit here, reported La Nación

The humanistic culture permeates the company, as explained in La Nación’s report. Rodríguez said that the company’s managers have all risen through the ranks, and have been given greater opportunities over time; so such initiatives reflect the company’s empowering philosophy towards their workers.