Miss-Delectable
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kyw.com - Deaf Barista Changes Starbucks Lingo
The sights, smells, and especially sounds of Starbucks in the morning are unmistakable.
But one Starbucks employee experiences the morning rush much differently than most, silently.
Ali Jordan has been deaf since birth. She is the very first deaf barista to work at a Philadelphia Starbucks.
Ali always enjoyed grabbing her morning cup of joe at the coffee chain and started working there about a year ago. In a fast-paced environment that is all about communication, a hearing impairment could present a big challenge.
But manager Tom Lester said Ali's barista skills are as hot as a Starbucks house blend.
"All the people that work here really love her. She fits in with the team really nicely, the customers enjoy seeing her. She's got a regular customer base," Lester said.
At first Ali's fellow baristas filled notebooks trying to communicate, but now her coworkers have all learned sign language. They even developed what they call "Starbucks Slang" to sign the intricate names of some complicated coffee drinks.
Clearly though, the most important lesson learned here has nothing to do with beans or brewing, but instead with breaking through stereotypes.
The sights, smells, and especially sounds of Starbucks in the morning are unmistakable.
But one Starbucks employee experiences the morning rush much differently than most, silently.
Ali Jordan has been deaf since birth. She is the very first deaf barista to work at a Philadelphia Starbucks.
Ali always enjoyed grabbing her morning cup of joe at the coffee chain and started working there about a year ago. In a fast-paced environment that is all about communication, a hearing impairment could present a big challenge.
But manager Tom Lester said Ali's barista skills are as hot as a Starbucks house blend.
"All the people that work here really love her. She fits in with the team really nicely, the customers enjoy seeing her. She's got a regular customer base," Lester said.
At first Ali's fellow baristas filled notebooks trying to communicate, but now her coworkers have all learned sign language. They even developed what they call "Starbucks Slang" to sign the intricate names of some complicated coffee drinks.
Clearly though, the most important lesson learned here has nothing to do with beans or brewing, but instead with breaking through stereotypes.