While people all over the United States showed support and enthusiasm for Starbucks newest stores in Washington DC that featured an “Signing Starbucks” staff that communicate via computers and American Sign Language, the realistic question that I am thinking is that is this business plan sustainable?
The Starbucks sign is shown on Monday, October 22, 2018 at Starbucks first U.S. Signing Store in Washington D.C. (Joshua Trujillo, Starbucks)
DID YOU KNOW? “Signing Starbucks” is not all deaf, in fact,it is a mixture of deaf, hard of hearing and hearing Baristas. All staff are trained and required to know ASL, but there are hearing staff that have special buttons that identifies that they are hearing, but know how to “sign”.
Starbucks is banking on an idea that an accessible location near
Gallaudet University will enable to connect with customers whom are deaf and/or
hard of hearing as well as to convince the general public that they want to
send the message that their coffee is accessible to all. While this is a groundbreaking
and historic move from Starbucks as a company, what they fail to see is how
they can make all Starbucks across the United States and all over the world
accessible to all.
Partners take an order on Monday, October 22, 2018 at Starbucks first U.S. Signing Store in Washington D.C. (Joshua Trujillo, Starbucks)
Inspired by a similar store in a Malaysia that opened in 2016
showed that this business plan could be sustainable. After two years, Starbucks
in Kuala Lumpur showed that with nine Deaf partners that their Starbucks could
run successfully and make a profit. It is interesting to note that Malaysia was
a testing ground for Starbucks to see if an “Starbucks Signing Store” could be successful
and profitable in Malaysia. After a two-year study and frequent observations, Starbucks
HQ decided that they could give it a try in the United States.
A mural is shown on Monday, October 22, 2018 at Starbucks first U.S. Signing Store in Washington D.C. (Joshua Trujillo, Starbucks)
Using prior experiences, Starbucks created a brilliant infrastructure
at the new Washington, D.C. location by incorporating unknown Deaf Artist to
well-known locals in the Gallaudet community. Yet, what is unknown and not
mentioned by the media is that “Starbucks Signing Store” does have some hearing
members at their store. This is, at best, a mild deception, which, most hearing
people will be relieved to hear that there is someone who is “hearing” who
knows “ASL” and they will be able to communicate with them in their own
language rather than “adaption” of another language in that community. Think of
it this way, it’s like Starbucks created a “Spanish Starbucks” in Spain, but
they still have some “American” on staff if there’s some miscommunication between
them and their clients. So, exactly, what is the point of having an “Signing
Starbucks” if there’s still some staff that whom are hired at that location to
ensure their clients have someone whom they can communicate with if something
goes wrong?
Roberta J. Cordano, President of Gallaudet University, is greeted by Starbucks store partners on Monday, October 22, 2018 at Starbucks first U.S. Signing Store in Washington D.C. Gallaudet is a university in Washington D.C. created for deaf and hard of hearing people. (Joshua Trujillo, Starbucks)
Gallaudet is an interesting choice; did you know that
Rochester, NY has the highest per capita number of Deaf people in the United
States, yet they don’t have a “Starbuck Signing Store”? Why is that? In fact,
in Rochester, New York, they have a K-12 school located downtown Rochester,
they have a famous college called Rochester Institute of Technology that host the
largest technical school called National Technology Institute of Deaf that has
over 3,000 students. Now imagine giving those students a job to help them pay
for their college education? Boom.
Chelsea, on Monday, October 22, 2018 at Starbucks first U.S. Signing Store in Washington D.C. Partners in the store are all deaf, hard of hearing or able to speak sign language. (Joshua Trujillo, Starbucks)
One of the questions that begs an answer is will other
companies follow Starbucks lead? Will Peet’s Coffee setup an “Peet’s Signing
Store”, “Tim Horton’s Signing Store”, or even, gasp, “Dunkin Donuts Signing
Store” and that answer itself will surprise you…most likely, no.
You see, Starbucks is using this as a publicity/marketing opportunity, and yes, it is simple as that.
Partners pose for a group photo on Saturday, October 20, 2018 at Starbucks first U.S. Signing Store in Washington D.C.(Joshua Trujillo, Starbucks)
Inspiration porn is not new and companies love using it; in
fact, it’s the number one trending thing billion-dollar companies are using to
gain better customers and audiences. Starbucks is the latest to use it and it’s
not their fault; it’s actually the customers and client’s fault. Think about it,
Starbucks could of implemented an all-store policy for all of its stores all
over the world to accommodate customers whom are deaf and/or hard of hearing by
using what they learned from Malaysia (television screen with customers name to
let them know their orders are ready; iPad to write down orders for people whom
are deaf and hard of hearing; but failed to provide better access for people
whom are deaf/blind).
EXAMPLES OF INSPIRATION PORN:
Derrick Coleman “Durrcell” commercial. Feb 14,
2014
PANTENE : A Very Touching Deaf Violinist
Commercial. 2010
#ReinventGiving with ‘Brothers’. 2016
Your Touch is Enough, Mom | JOHNSON’S® 2016
Bob’s House — Pepsi’s new Super Bowl Ad. 2008
Safelite AutoGlass’ Deaf & Hard of Hearing/
Sign Language TV Commercial. 2014
Bayer aspirin sign language commercial. 1995
Whirlpool – Congrats, parents. 2018
We Are America ft. John Cena | Love Has No
Labels | Ad Council. 2016
Marlee Matlin Apple Macintosh Commercial. 2006
iPod Shuffle commercial with Sign Language. 2007
Genius of Starbuck inspiration porn is that they actually got people from the Deaf Community to praise Starbucks; Howard Rosenblum of NAD takes the entire staff to Starbucks and shares it on Instagram with 17K followers, in fact, in an interview with the WP he said, “that companies may hire deaf employees at lower levels, but those opportunities rarely extend up the chain.“.
Roberta Cordano, President of Gallaudet University is quoted
in Fortune that Starbucks’ decision to open the new store “expands the
definition of what most people think of when they consider diversity.” Cordano
added, “Besides creating an ambient and fully accessible environment for
members of the deaf community, this new store creates employment and
advancement opportunities for deaf and hard of hearing people, as baristas,
store managers, and other roles.”
What they all missed was that they should have advocated
that all Starbucks in the United States and around the world should have this
level of accessibility at every single Starbucks as well at all stores and
companies in the Untied States and around the world.
“Signing Starbucks” sustainable? Of course, it is. But, the
bigger question is, can companies start advancing opportunities for deaf, hard
of hearing and/or deaf-blind people to take on leadership roles now and in the
future?
Thomsen Young
