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Starbucks Signing Store
Overview
Starbucks' 2018 story on its U.S. Signing Store states all partners can communicate in ASL and hearing partners wear I Sign pins to signal language availability. The store also added written back-and-forth tools to support customers new to signing. Benefit: reduced communication barriers and increased employment visibility for Deaf communities. Lesson: inclusive service design is staffing, environment, and interaction tools together.
Why it matters
When default service is speech-first, Deaf customers face friction, delays, or dependence on companions, and Deaf workers face narrower job pathways. Starbucks' 2024 accessibility-focused store update reports that half the store's partners know and use ASL and links the approach to neighborhood needs near Gallaudet. Benefit: normalized access in everyday places. Call to action: design services that do not require customers to request accommodations and make language access visible and routine.
Learn more
- American Sign Language - National Association of the Deaf - https://www.nad.org/resources/american-sign-language/
- Deaf Culture & History Section - National Association of the Deaf - https://www.nad.org/resources/deaf-culture/
- https://adata.org/factsheet/communication-access
- About Universal Design - Centre for Excellence in Universal Design - https://universaldesign.ie/what-is-universal-design/
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