The creation of Starbucks Signing Stores has certainly caused a stir within the d/Deaf community, but are they true celebrations of d/Deaf culture, or are they exploitative novelties?
Signing Starbucks, Washington DC.
Since the opening of its first 'Signing Store' in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2016, Starbucks has continued in its commitment to inclusivity, and in 2018 opened its first ASL-using store in the United States.
The first of its kind on American soil, the store is based in Washington DC, near Gallaudet University, which is a bilingual (ASL and English) institution. Working with the University, the store has incorporated guidelines from their DeafSpace project, established in 2005, which identified over 150 architectural elements that address key aspects of the Deaf experience with the built environment. These aspects include sensory reach, mobility and proximity, space and proximity, light and colour, and also acoustics. By adapting the store to these guidelines, Starbucks aims to create an open environment for communication, with low glare surfaces, and maximises lines of sight by ensuring there are no high table tops or highly stacked cups blocking visibility.
As part of their efforts to optimize accessibility, the store also has digital notepads, for customers who would prefer to write down their order, and further has a screen to display when orders are ready for collection.
With the aim of promoting job opportunities for the d/Deaf community, the store has around 25 employees, many of them d/Deaf or Hard of Hearing, but all of them ASL proficient. For hearing employees, 'I Sign' pins are provided as part of the uniform, something available to any Starbucks employee internationally, providing they are sign language proficient. The store also tries to highlight d/Deaf artists, featuring a mural depicting the ASL sign for 'community', created by deaf artist and professor at Gallaudet University, Yiqiao Wang, and promoting mugs uniquely designed by Deaf artist Jena Floyd.
Reactions Across the d/Deaf Community
For many people in the d/Deaf community, such as for those in the video shared on Twitter (@thearielseries on TikTok), the creation of 'Signing Stores' has been met with open arms. Indeed this is true even for staff members, such as Crystal Harris, who told the Washington Post that she feels her "identity is accepted here".
The simple ability to walk into a coffee shop and have your order taken is something many people take for granted. Contrastingly, many within the d/Deaf community often face communication barriers, something further exacerbated since Covid and face-masks, and therefore some may resort to typing their orders out on their phone in the hope of being understood. Whilst this may not be an impossible task, some feel that this experience reinforces the constant need to accommodate the hearing world, which can be isolating, and even exhausting. The creation of 'd/Deaf friendly' spaces, such as Signing Starbucks Stores turns the tables, and instead provides the opportunity for hearing people to navigate and communicate in deaf spaces.
Fetishization and Victimization?
However, there has also been backlash with the d/Deaf community at Starbucks' introduction of Signing Stores, with some arguing it presents signs of fetishization and victimization. In a post published on his blog, Brendan Udkovich Stern compared the concept of the new Signing Starbucks to "white people opening an 'African-American store'", or "evangelical Christians in Mississippi opening a Jewish coffee store", making the argument that the promotion of d/Deaf owned businesses already established in the area would a better demonstration of solidarity. Additionally, he shared concerns that the new store would simply become a tourist attraction, rather than an opportunity to truly appreciate d/Deaf culture, and thus fetishize and monetize the community.
Despite the inconvenience of having to type or write down orders when trying to buy a coffee, Brendan contests that this does not merit the definition of being 'a barrier', and naming it as such diminishes the power of 'victim'. This, he suggests, is particularly important considering the current state of d/Deaf culture in the United States, which he argues is under threat, due to the popularity of cochlear implants and reduction of enrollments in deaf schools, among other things. In order to maintain d/Deaf culture, through the mediums of schools, programs, and services, Brendan writes that the community must demonstrate to wider society that d/Deaf people are not victims.
By celebrating the creation of Signing Stores, Brendan suggests this implies that the d/Deaf experience of signing is "isolating and frustrating", and therefore may push parents of d/Deaf children towards perceptions and practices that threaten the future of the community. If hearing parents believe that even ordering coffee is considerably difficult for a d/Deaf person, will they be more inclined to believe that their child needs to listen and speak in order to exist in society? Could this lead them to cut off their child from the richness of sign language and d/Deaf culture?
Ultimately, although acknowledging the good intentions behind the Starbucks Signing Store, Brendan argues that rather than celebrating signing stores, there should be a greater effort for opportunities for d/Deaf managers and baristas, and a greater focus on providing accessible public spaces in general.
Local d/Deaf Businesses and Services
Despite the wide range of viewpoints within the d/Deaf community on the creation of 'signing stores' or 'd/Deaf only spaces', what is agreed upon is that the need for accessibility and equality of opportunity will be forever imperative. The preservation and celebration of d/Deaf culture is equally vital.
One local service I would like to highlight is Living Options Devon, which supports over 6000 local disabled and d/Deaf people across the South West. Their Deaf Led team work to increase options for d/Deaf people and advocate for their views, also offering d/Deaf counselling and BSL training, among other things. Located in Exeter, they offer several volunteering opportunities for those looking to get involved further.
Additionally, there are several UK-based d/Deaf owned Etsy businesses that create incredible products. If you would like to explore and support these further I would encourage checking out MadWood Studio which creates beautiful BSL-themed cards, and HearIAmDesigns which sells hearing aid charms, earrings, and necklaces.
