For my post I decided to take a picture of a Starbucks drive thru, I picked the Starbucks drive thru because of their accessibility for people that may be deaf or hard of hearing. Starbucks has recently built a camera into their drive thru screen that resembles something like Skype, which allows people to sign their order instead of speaking it. Due to this new accommodation, Starbucks has begun to hire at least one employee on their waitstaff that can sign American Sign Language to communicate with these individuals. This is a major breakthrough for the people in the Deaf Community to gain the support of an international corporation like Starbucks.Â
In The Social Construction of Difference, Johnson explains that able-bodied individuals â...can also assume that most buildings and other structures will not be designed in ways that limit their access.â (Pg. 19)  By creating this window, Starbucks has demonstrated their compassion and understanding towards people with disabilities. Although there are more people that are hearing than Deaf, Starbucks still finds it important to make their business accessible for everyone. This action that Starbucks has taken to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to access their business helps give off a message to society. Starbucks is showing that they support people despite their differences, and they want everyone to have the same opportunities as one another. Many people do not think about the inconvenience certain structures have on others ability to communicate, but Starbucks is helping bring awareness to the topic by creating this new way of communicating in a drive thru. Able-bodied people take for granted the endless opportunities we have that someone that isnât able-bodied doesnât get. It is important to spread awareness that there is more beyond ourselves, and it is our responsibility to ensure that our society is functional for all individuals as a whole.
Posted by: Madison S












