Making a difference: Fatimah (second from right) and Quays (right) in a group picture with the employees at the Starbucks signing store in Kuching. — ZULAZHAR SHEBLEE/The Star
KUCHING: Cashier Khairunnas Reduan is full of confidence as she takes customer orders despite having to communicate differently.
The 29-year-old from Kota Samarahan is one of the deaf employees at Starbucks’ latest “signing store” at Vivacity Megamall here.
“I love meeting customers. We communicate by using a writing tablet. I also teach them to say ‘thank you’ and ‘I love you’ in sign language,” she said via a digital tablet during the store’s official launch yesterday.
Khairunnas, who also makes drinks “with love”, said she was thankful for the opportunity to work at the store.
“The job gives me confidence. It also shows the company’s good intentions in helping us improve our lives,” she added.
State Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah, who launched the store, said it was an impactful project to empower and provide employment to the deaf community in Sarawak.
“It will help them earn an income, be independent and live with dignity,” she said.
Berjaya Food Bhd group chief executive officer Datuk Sydney Quays said this was Starbucks’ third signing store after those in Kuala Lumpur and Penang.
“Our goal is to have a signing store in every state we operate in.
“This is an opportunity for the hearing-impaired community to build self-confidence. We hope to provide more employment for them,” he said.
Quays said there was no difference between a normal store and a signing store except for the tools to assist the employees.
He said Starbucks also planned to conduct sign language classes at the store in collaboration with the Sarawak Society for the Deaf (SSD).
“Our bigger goal is to educate customers to understand the community and bridge the communication gap between them,” he said.
SSD chairman Albert Wong said the collaboration with Starbucks was a shining example of inclusivity.
“We face a lot of challenges, especially in terms of a communication barrier, but we are committed to making a difference,” he said.
