Built from lived experience
Deaf and disabled people are part of our paid team and shape every decision. We design with our community, not for it.
Why support Katakata
Invest in a space where Deaf and disabled people lead
Katakata is a Deaf and Disabled-led safe community space in Brixton and Camberwell. People come for food, advice, a class or a cup of coffee. They stay because they belong, and from there grow confidence, skills, work and wider change.
In short
- One welcoming space connects food, advice, BSL, gardening, music, training and work.
- Our results come from feedback collected May to September 2026, with the number of people who answered.
- You can fund our space, commission our services or partner with us on employment.
Why it matters
Many places are not built for Deaf and disabled people. Ours is.
Deaf and disabled people often meet barriers in everyday places: phone-only services, no interpreter, noisy rooms, or being talked about rather than talked to. Many end up isolated, without the support or work they want.
Katakata was built to remove those barriers. Here you can order by speaking, signing, pointing or writing it down. You can take your time. And you will meet Deaf and disabled people running the place, not only using it.
That safe space is what makes everything else possible. Without it, the classes, the advice and the jobs would not reach the people who need them most.
Who benefits
People who are too often left out
Everyone is welcome at Katakata. Our work is shaped around the people other services find hardest to reach.
- Deaf people and BSL users
- Disabled people
- Neurodivergent people
- Young people with special educational needs and disabilities
- Refugees and migrants
- Black and Global Majority communities
- People experiencing poverty or exclusion
- People experiencing homelessness, through the meals we cook for Thames Reach
The change we see
From belonging to confidence, skills and work
Four results come from feedback forms for each activity, collected between May and September 2026. The fifth comes from our employment pathway.
- 1A safe spacePeople feel welcome and understood.
- 2BelongingThey come back, meet others and join in.
- 3Confidence and skillsBSL, cooking, barista work, gardening, performing.
- 4Work and wider changePaid jobs, stronger communities, more inclusive employers.
80%
felt more confident signing
20 of 25 BSL learners
90%
reported better wellbeing and belonging
36 of 40 garden participants
98%
felt connected, safe and part of something
78 of 80 open mic guests
95%
felt supported or part of the community
95 of 100 food bank users
83%
moved into paid work
10 of 12 people on our employment pathway
- About 55 free meals a week cooked for Thames Reach homelessness services
- About 30 people a week use our food bank
- 5 to 6 people a week get advice and guidance
Why Deaf and Disabled-led matters
Led by people who know the barriers
Trusted by people others miss
People who avoid formal services come to a café. Trust built over a coffee opens the door to advice, training and work.
Proof that inclusion works
Every customer served by a Deaf barista shows employers what is possible. Our team are role models for the people who come next.
Accessible by design
BSL, speech, writing, pictures or pointing. We adapt to people, not the other way round.
How you can help
Ways to support our work
We'll talk through what you'd like to achieve and how your support would be used.
Fund our community space
Core funding keeps the space open, staffed and accessible, which is what makes every other activity possible.
Talk to us about fundingCommission a service
Commission us to run spaces or support for particular communities, as South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has with Brothers Together.
Talk to us about commissioningPartner on inclusive employment
Offer work experience, employ our participants, or train your team in BSL and Deaf awareness.
Talk to us about employmentBuy from us or give
Book our catering, training or space: every booking helps sustain our work. Online donations are coming soon.
See what you can book