A New Kind of Starbucks.

PositionDEAF CULTURE - Coffeehouse chain's sign language-only store - Brief article

How do you sign Frappuccino? Starbucks recently opened a sign language-only store in Washington, D.C., the first of its kind in the U.S. It's staffed by deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing employees-and they're all fluent in American Sign Language (ASL). Customers can sign or write down their orders, and when their drinks are ready, their names appear on a screen at the end of the bar. There's no music, and the location-which used to be a standard Starbucks-has been remodeled to maximize light and remove anything that would limit visibility for people who are signing, such as high tables or tall stacks of cups. When it opened, members of the deaf...

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