00:01Janice Ong Affat is a professional barista.
00:04She works in a stylish cafeteria in Arnhem, the Netherlands,
00:08for the Dutch energy giant Tenet.
00:11Hundreds of employees stop by here every day.
00:14This coffee bar is unusual in that you can't just call out your order.
00:18That's because Janice is deaf.
00:21Everyone has to order using sign language.
00:23Sometimes you have to learn it first.
00:27The first time I didn't even realize it.
00:30So I couldn't place an order.
00:31Then they showed me the screen.
00:33And I've been happy to do it that way ever since.
00:40There's a specific sign for each drink, which is demonstrated on the screen.
00:45That's how customers learn how to place an order.
00:50Flat white.
00:52I'm still practicing that.
00:57Flat white, I think.
01:00Or maybe the other way around.
01:02Janice is 24.
01:04Previously, she either stocked shelves at a supermarket or was unemployed.
01:09This is her first real job.
01:12At first, I was pretty nervous wondering how things would go, especially with hearing co-workers, who'd never worked with
01:21a deaf person before, and interacting with the customers, too.
01:25But things gradually got better and better.
01:28And now it's going great.
01:35The twist is that it's the customers who have to learn the new language.
01:39Of course, we also needed a sign language interpreter to conduct our interview.
01:44I notice that people are more open, and I find it much easier to connect with them.
01:52And that's not something Janice takes for granted.
01:55When I have to lip-read, I often have to double-check or ask people to repeat themselves.
02:02Hearing people don't realize how easy communication is for them.
02:06They should adapt to communicate with deaf people.
02:09If I have to read lips all day, I'm exhausted by evening.
02:15There are now more than 50 such cafes in the Netherlands.
02:19Large companies are encouraged to create jobs for people with disabilities.
02:23But it isn't just about creating a positive public image, says Amin Michel, the Equal Opportunity Officer at Tenet.
02:33Here we have colleagues who are fluent in sign language.
02:38It raises awareness that talent comes in many forms.
02:43Not all talent is the same.
02:48Kevin van Hooft is the one who finds the talent.
02:51His company, Sign Language Coffee Bar, trains the deaf baristas and provides the screens that display the signs.
02:58A total of 150 short videos cover everything from lattes to matchas with oat milk,
03:04along with some basic small talk like please, thank you or hello.
03:08It's not as easy as it looks.
03:13Sometimes you have to be careful.
03:15For example, this is kiss and this is thank you.
03:19It's a very subtle difference, but you wouldn't want anyone falling in love by mistake.
03:26The new set-up gets people talking, whether it's with their voices or their hands.
03:31It turns out that communicating in this cafe isn't all that hard after all.
03:36Actually, eye contact is the most important thing.
03:39Otherwise, she can't see what I'm signing.
03:42And a smile.
03:44And of course, everyone can smile.
03:47And Janice's smile speaks volumes about just how much she loves her new job.
03:51So much more people can Bernie goes back in the match.
03:53lining.
03:56I'm sorry.
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