American coffeehouse chain operator Starbucks is set to open its first sign-language-capable store in Beijing this week. Starbucks China announced that the new store – its second sign-language-capable outlet in China – will officially open on Friday.
Starbucks said the new store should provide more opportunities and better customer experience to deaf communities in the country. Among the employees will be seven people who hearing impaired. Almost all of the employees at the company's store in Xitieying at Wanda Plaza are in their early to late 20s.
The store manager of the new outlet, Chen Fangqi, pointed out that the key takeaway of Starbucks ' initiative is to promote diversity and inclusiveness. She added that working together with her hearing-impaired colleagues has made her appreciate their resilience and how hard they work to become as effective as those without hearing problems.
Apart from providing work for those with hearing problems, the new store has also been designed to meet the needs of customers suffering from the same issues. This includes the store-wide implementation of sign language symbols to give a sense of inclusion. Even the company's iconic mermaid logo has been modified to include sign language symbols. To make ordering much easier for hearing impaired customers, Starbucks has installed two-way digital displays and even notepads to make communicating easier.
The head of Beijing's Disabled Persons' Federation, Wu Wenyan, praised the opening of the new Starbucks location. He added that he hopes the establishment would become a good role model for other companies and the public to care more for the country's hearing-impaired communities.
To further get its mission out to the public, Starbucks China is planning to hold different events aimed at advocating support for the country's deaf community. The events will include sign language courses and coffee-making classes. In cooperation with the Disabled Persons' Federation, Starbucks will also be offering career guidance programs aimed at helping impaired individuals broaden their job opportunities.
Starbucks opened its first sign-language-capable location in Guangzhou last year. Worldwide, the company employs more than 120 people suffering from hearing problems.
