Customers can communicate in ASL or write their orders on a tech pad. Rather than wait to hear their names called at the end of the bar, customers look up to a screen showing when their drinks are ready. The store was also remodeled to maximize light and open lines of sight — high top tables or tall stacks of cups, for example, limit visibility for people signing to each other. Non-signing customers are also encouraged to use visual cues. Rather than sign that the store didn’t carry chamomile tea, for example, one employee waved his hand across his neck — signaling “no” — and then pointed to a printed menu with other options.<doc-sep>Starbucks opened its first U.S. “Signing Store” in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, allowing customers to order in American Sign Language (ASL). The coffee chain announced in July that the existing Starbucks would be staffed by employees who are partially or fully deaf and converted to accommodate hard of hearing customers. ADVERTISEMENT Deaf baristas wear specialty aprons, featuring signs spelling out "Starbucks." Hearing baristas will wear “I Sign” pins, according to a news release from the company. Customers can also write out their orders on tablets and drinks available for pick-up will be visible on a screen, rather than having baristas call out orders. The store is located near Gallaudet University, the world’s only university designed to educate deaf and hard of hearing students. The store also features a wall mural created by a deaf artist and sells ASL mugs designed by a deaf artist. The location includes other deaf-friendly features like low-glare reflective services. Academy-Award winning actress Marlee Matlin visited the location on Tuesday to celebrate its opening. Can you find the letters of the ASL manual alphabet in this mural celebrating Deaf culture? #StarbucksSigns pic.twitter.com/anQIbj5Lm8 — Marlee Matlin (@MarleeMatlin) October 23, 2018 The D.C. signing store is designed after a similar location that was opened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2016 with nine deaf partners. Marthalee Galeota, senior manager for accessibility at Starbucks, said in a statement Monday that the U.S. store is unique because it mixes hearing, hard of hearing and deaf employees. Galoeta said it puts all of the employees and customers “on an equal footing.” “We really want people to experience the excitement of talking to somebody differently than they might have before,” Galeota said. “All the barriers are gone from being able to communicate, or from people being able to demonstrate their skills and show off the talent they have. We think this store celebrates the culture of human connection on a deep level.”<doc-sep>Washington, DC (CNN) — How do you say "frappuccino" in American Sign Language? That's one of the many questions customers have at the latest branch of Starbucks, which opened on October 23 in Washington, DC. While this Starbucks looks like every other outlet of the coffee chain -- mermaid logo, mugs for sale, baristas in bright green aprons -- there's one thing that makes it very special. Every single employee here is fluent in American Sign Language (ASL). Starbucks chose a block of H Street Northeast for its inaugural ASL store because of its proximity to Gallaudet University, the world's only liberal arts university for the deaf and hard of hearing. Related content The beverage king of LA has a few things to say about tea Walking in Even before you set foot in this Starbucks location, it's clear that something is different. Eagle-eyed pedestrians will notice that the umbrellas in front of the store have "Starbucks" printed on them in English and ASL fingerspelling. When you walk in, you'll notice that the store, unlike every other Starbucks in the world, doesn't have ambient music. To the right of the entrance is a bright, colorful mural by a deaf artist. There's a display of mugs exclusive to this Starbucks -- they have the brand's name sign, illustrated with green hands -- and a chalkboard displaying the ASL vocabulary word of the week. (This week's, fittingly, is "coffee.") Baristas and CNN's Lilit Marcus chat in ASL. At the register, guests often begin to figure out what is going on. Some attempt to point at menu items, while others make use of tablets that Starbucks have provided for people to prefer to write down their orders. There is also a two-way communication tablet in case of questions such as "what kind of milk?" "At the point of sale, people see [signing] immediately and sometimes stand there in awe," Kylie Garcia, a deaf barista, tells CNN Travel . "They're used to talking to people right away. It's a role reversal." There are also more subtle ways that deaf space is considered. Most chairs and tables are low to aid visibility. Lights are bright, and surfaces are matte to reduce glare. Redefining inclusivity One thing that staff members here emphasize is that the store isn't about deaf versus hearing, which doesn't quite capture the community accurately. They prefer "signer" or "nonsigner." That inclusive language brings in people who are deaf and hard of hearing; CODAs (hearing Children of Deaf Adults, which includes this author); people who are deaf and blind; and also others. But many of the store's employees -- called "partners" in Starbucksese -- emphasize that language is just one part of what makes this shop friendly to signers. "This is an opportunity to model what deaf-centric space looks like," says barista Joey Lewis. Baristas at the DC store sign "Starbucks." Joshua Trujillo, Starbucks Several baristas note that the deaf and hard of hearing community suffers from chronic underemployment, with qualified applicants struggling to find work simply because of language barriers. He gets emotional about how meaningful it was to be taught to make coffee in ASL and be trained for a job in his native language. News of the store has also been exciting for members of the local deaf and hard of hearing community, especially students from MSSD, the Model Secondary School for the Deaf, a high school which is adjacent to Gallaudet. "Kids from MSSD say that they can be baristas," Crystal Harris tells CNN. Harris grew up in a nonsigning family and was sent to a mainstream school. She didn't begin to learn sign language until she came to DC at 19 to take classes at Gallaudet. She works part-time at Starbucks while finishing her studies. "I'm in a deaf environment now. This is a creative opportunity, but it's just the beginning." And while Garcia is thrilled to work with other signers, she's careful to note that one store is just one store. She sees many other opportunities for Starbucks and other businesses to figure out how to include deaf and hard of hearing customers. "What about a drive-thru?" she points out. And beyond It wasn't only members of the deaf community who were excited to see an ASL-friendly business open up in the neighborhood. "I think this might be a good place for people to get exposure to ASL and deaf culture and interface with their neighbors in an easy way," Kirsten Schofield, a writer who lives off H Street, told CNN. Pamela Pipes, a hearing barista who is trained as an interpreter and relocated to the DC area just to work at this Starbucks, nods in assent. She makes a sign that looks like an open hand closing into a fist next to her neck, which roughly translates to "close up your voice." In other words, even though Pipes is capable of speaking English, she turns her voice off when she gets to work. This store is one of the few places where hearing people can experience what it might be like for a deaf person to get through an everyday experience as common as ordering coffee with a language barrier. Part of the store's appeal to Schofield is simply access. This new Starbucks is now the closest coffee shop to her apartment. But she has also become interested in learning sign language since moving to the area and seeing so many Gallaudet students talking every day. It's clear that she isn't the only one in the area who sees the Starbucks as a way to learn more about her deaf neighbors. Several community groups, including the DC public library system, offer free ASL classes to locals who want to pick up basic vocabulary. Schofield took one after seeing a flyer at Union Market , a food hall near Gallaudet. Related content Cherry blossoms reach their peak in Washington Now, she says, the ASL Starbucks has inspired her to brush up. She went online to learn how to sign "coffee" and plans to order her first drink in ASL. Slowly. For Matthew Gilsbach, the store's manager, the signing Starbucks exemplifies the concept of a "third place" -- a space other than the home or the office where people can gather and socialize. For signers, who often have to learn to get by or manage in hearing-centric spaces, a deaf "third place" is extra special.<doc-sep>
Ordering a cup of Starbucks coffee should now be a lot easier for the hearing impaired – at least in Washington, D.C. Starbucks has opened its first U.S. cafe staffed by employees who are partially or fully deaf and capable of communicating in American Sign Language. The coffee company on Tuesday opened the store, which it calls a Signing Store, near Gallaudet University in Washington. The chain hired as many as 25 people from across the country who know ASL to work at the store, which was converted over the last few months from an existing Starbucks location. “All the barriers are gone from being able to communicate, or from people being able to demonstrate their skills and show off the talent they have," said Marthalee Galeota, senior manager for accessibility at Starbucks, in a statement. "We think this store celebrates the culture of human connection on a deep level.” The Washington location was modeled on the Seattle-based coffee chain's first Signing Store, which opened in Malaysia in 2016, the company said. The plan to open a Signing Store in the U.S. crystallized after American Starbucks employees traveled to Kuala Lumpur to study the one there. "The store will create a distinctive retail experience for all customers, while offering a unique store format that promotes accessibility and offers employment and career advancement opportunities for deaf and hard of hearing people," Starbucks said in a statement in July 2018 when it announced its plans. Deaf baristas at the store at Sixth and H streets wear ASL aprons embroidered by a deaf supplier. All baristas who can communicate in sign language will wear an "I Sign" pin. The store is also equipped with digital displays and notepads, and an ordering console with two-way keyboards so customers and employees can type back and forth. Among the other special deaf-friendly features are low-glare reflective surfaces. The coffee shop also boasts exclusive artwork including custom coffee mugs and a mural made up showing ASL signs for coffee and deaf culture. “In the center of the piece, you can see two very strong hands, arms raised up, rising from the bottom of the artwork,” said Yiqiao Wang, a deaf artist and adjunct professor at Gallaudet University, in a description of the store on the Starbucks website. “Deaf people can see that. It means community in ASL, and bringing various backgrounds, languages and people all together.” "Starbucks has taken an innovative approach to incorporating deaf culture that will increase employment opportunities as well as accessibility for deaf and hard of hearing people, while at the same time educating and enlightening society,” said Howard Rosenblum, CEO of the National Association of the Deaf when Starbucks announced its plan for the store. The Signing Store announcement came three months after Starbucks was thrust into the national spotlight amid criticism that its stores weren't inclusive. In mid-April, two African-American men were arrested for trespassing at one of the chain's Philadelphia locations after they declined to purchase anything while waiting for a business meeting. Starbucks and its top executives repeatedly apologized and settled with the two men for an undisclosed amount of money. Six weeks later, the chain also held racial-bias training for employees at its 8,000-plus company-owned U.S. stores and corporate headquarters. Follow USA TODAY reporter Zlati Meyer on Twitter: @ZlatiMeyer