KHOU has reported on a branch of Starbucks in Houston which is staffed by three deaf people, communicating using notes, lipreading and gestures.
The video shows them in action and delayed (live) subtitles are available (click the CC button). Check out the story and video here.
Extract:
HOUSTON – Faithful Starbucks customers know the coffee shop is often a crowded, bustling, noisy place; but at one location in the Heights, what you don’t hear is what’s interesting and inspiring.
At the I-10 and Yale Starbucks, the smells, sights and sounds are all familiar. What may not be? What you don’t hear.
Lindsey Smith, a shift supervisor, is deaf as are Lydia Tesfaye and Greg Oxley. All three baristas serve customers with all kinds of orders.
Of the three, Greg can speak a little, but usually to communicate, they use a writing tablet, a little lip reading, and some simple gestures. They also get help from a Bradley LeConey, a hearing supervisor who knows sign language.
Read the full story here: http://www.khou.com/features/deaf-baristas-thrive-at-local-starbucks-coffee-shop/266832736
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Cathy
July 12, 2016
I cannot imagine this happening in Britain!!! It is a surprising revelation though and maybe the concept will catch on later. It would be more isolating for a Deaf person to be working alone in this kind of environment, which means any coffee shops would need to have more than one Deaf employee, so that no deaf person is left in isolation.
Interviewers would certainly be looking for good people skills and communication, which means (in Britain at least) any deaf person would fail the interview if they were solely reliant on BSL!
We do appear to be a good way behind America, but we could catch up with this dynamic if employers attitudes changed. This I fear is a number of years away and employers attitude is the one I listed first in the totaljobs.com’s survey!!