Across China. Cafe provides haven for hearing-impaired in central China
- Chris McMillan
- Sep 8, 2024
- 1 min read
Xinhuanet
3rd July 2024
Across China. Cafe provides haven for hearing-impaired in central China
"May I have a cup of vanilla latte please? Large." As the customer speaks, the sentence is converted by a voice-recognition system and appears on an electronic screen in the cafe. Receiving the message, barista Chen Yuanyuan soon produces a cup of coffee, which she hands over with a smile.
At first glance, this Starbucks in central China's Hubei Province could be any modern cafe anywhere in China. However, the receptionists and baristas here are hearing-impaired people, and the methods of communication have been adapted accordingly.
Last month, the 18th "silent" Starbucks cafe opened in Wuhan, capital of Hubei, five years after the first one of its kind went operational in Guangzhou, in the southern Guangdong Province. A total of three hearing-impaired baristas were recruited in Wuhan, including Chen.
"I always wanted to work in such a cafe in my hometown. Now my dream has come true," Chen, 42, told Xinhua in sign language.
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