DES MOINES, Iowa — The Slow Down Coffee Co. is a coffee shop in Highland Park that now has Braille menus available for blind or visually impaired customers.

Anna Miller, the employee at Slow Down who came up with the idea to get Braille versions of the menu, said that she hopes they will offer blind and visually impaired customers more independence.

“Somebody who is blind can come in and we can read the menu to them but giving a sense of independence to them and allowing that for them here is really important,” Miller said.

Miller was able to get the Braille menus for free through a program at the Iowa Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.

“The Iowa Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, they were so quick, so happy to just actually do this for free and they do free services for any local business,” Miller said.

With the program, local businesses can get four free copies of their menu in Braille. Miller said that the menus help blind and visually impaired customers feel comfortable.

“People want independence and they should have that,” Miller said, “Obviously if someone came in and was like can you read me your menu I would do that too, and again not everybody knows Braille, but having that option is just something that I think is going to make everybody feel a lot more comfortable.”

To learn more about the programs that the Iowa Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped offers you can visit their website.