From Washington DC to Lower Hutt, businesses are mainstreaming deaf culture.
Deaf advocates say a newly converted American Starbucks store and a Lower Hutt café share an exemplary commitment to creating deaf-friendly business environments.
Starbucks has given one of its regular stores on a bustling Washington street a makeover in a bid to boost employment within the deaf community and immerse hearing people in deaf spaces.
American Sign Language (ASL) symbols on the new store's street-facing sign and large table umbrellas spell S-T-A-R-B-U-C-K-S, and an indoor wall is devoted to a mural celebration the merging of d/Deaf and hearing cultures.
The Washington Post reports the café, which reopened on October 23, employs a mix of 24 deaf, hard of hearing and hearing workers, all of whom are conversant in ASL.
In the store, optimised so that tall tables or stacks of coffee cups don't impede lines of sight, customers place their orders in ASL, or by writing on a tech pad.
One employee is Kylie Garcia, who grew up as the only deaf member of a non-signing, hearing family.
Ms Garcia, newly promoted from a barista to a shift supervisor, had previously worked at a Starbucks kiosk in a Target store, where she was solely responsible for making drinks, never interacting with customers and feeling shut out of conversations with other staff.
"People turned down offering me jobs because they aren’t willing to take the risk," Ms Garcia told the Washington Post.
But Claire Matheson, director and founder of Lower Hutt business Coffee Educators, now based at Colab Café, sees huge opportunities in boosting employment of deaf staff within the coffee industry.
After providing barista training to a group of deaf students in 2014, Ms Matheson says she "suddenly realised the lack of accessibility for our deaf community."
As a result, Co'Ed café, as it was then called, structured the business model to help to address the problem.
"We operated with a majority of deaf staff and all other staff were taught NZSL [New Zealand Sign Language].
"In order to communicate with customers that we had a diverse range of staff we had videos playing in the cafe of the staff signing their orders in NZSL," Ms Matheson told Newshub.
Ms Matheson is now fluent in NZSL herself, and can deliver Coffee Educators' barista courses without the need for an interpreter.
Victoria Manning, GM Strategy of Disabled People's Organisation Deaf Aotearoa says the group is "proud" New Zealand boasts such an initiative.
During NZSL week in May this year, Deaf Aotearoa worked with Coffee Educators to produce a handbook called How to Order your Coffee in NZSL which they distributed to cafés and consumers.
Coffee Educators have also partnered with social enterprise the Lucy Foundation to set up their own coffee roastery to "create more inclusive and accessible processes for people with disabilities in the supply chain from farmer to consumer," Ms Matheson explains.
She says Coffee Educators design programmes and provide training to businesses with the aim of promoting NZSL in "as many hospitality businesses as we can."
But Ms Matheson says larger corporates like Starbucks have a crucial role to play too.
"It is virtually impossible for small businesses to operate in this manner as the cost implications are huge.
"But for a big boy like Starbucks to throw their weight behind the model of inclusive working and accessibility will change industry."
Kim Robinson, Chair of advocacy group Deaf Action, described the iconic brand's initiative as "a beautiful mix of sign language and employment that breaks down communication barriers."
"Deaf people can do anything but hear. Give them a go and learn sign language at the same time."
Newshub could not reach Starbucks in New Zealand for comment.
Newshub.
