News

Starbucks launches American Sign Language-centric store in DC

October 24, 2018

Starbucks has opened the nation’s first American Sign Language-centric store in Washington, D.C.

The Signing Store is located close to Gallaudet University, the world's only university uniquely designed to educate deaf and hard-of-hearing students, according to a company press release.

Gallaudet is officially bilingual, using American Sign Language and English for all classes and events, and the Signing Store is bilingual as well.

All store partners are proficient in ASL, and partners wear special green aprons embroidered with the ASL finger spelling of Starbucks. Hearing partners wear traditional green aprons with "I Sign" pins, which are actually available to any Starbucks partner worldwide with sign language proficiency.

At a pre-opening celebration, partners and special guests mingled in the new store. Oscar-winning deaf actress Marlee Matlin came by to surprise store partners, and Howard Rosenblum from the National Association of the Deaf accepted a $50,000 donation from the Starbucks Foundation.

There are more than 200 deaf employees working at Starbucks stores worldwide, according to the news report.