[00:00.10]From VOA Learning English,
[00:03.14]this is the Health Report.
[00:06.03]Almost 8 million Americans are deaf,
[00:10.16]or have 'difficulty hearing'.
[00:12.90]A food market in Washington makes a special effort
[00:18.45]to serve the needs of deaf people in the local community.
[00:23.04]Thadeus Suggs is a cook at Union Market.
[00:28.11]He has no trouble taking an order from deaf customers.
[00:33.59]Communication is easy, because the 23-year-old
[00:39.22]is himself deaf and knows American Sign Language.
[00:44.50]He began working at Union Market
[00:48.92]soon after it opened last year.
[00:52.40]He took a break from studying at Gallaudet University,
[00:57.85]just across the street from the market.
[01:01.09]Gallaudet is a university for deaf
[01:05.17]and hard of hearing students.
[01:07.86]It's programs are known around the world.
[01:12.17]Mr Suggs explains,
[01:15.11]with the help of Gallaudet interpreter Carolyn Ressler,
[01:20.19]what he likes about his job at Union Market.
[01:24.62]"One nice thing is it is so close to Gallaudet,
[01:27.06]which by the way is the 'Deaf Mecca'.
[01:29.10]And with that, we are providing services
[01:33.08]to the Gallaudet community as well as the community at large."
[01:36.57]Thadeus Suggs can read lips and speak with people as well.
[01:42.36]His boss, Ross Mayhood,
[01:46.00]says that makes Mr Suggs a valuable communicator.
[01:51.27]"He is probably the most valuable member of our staff.
[01:53.76]And he has been a big part of how popular
[01:57.19]we are with the Gallaudet crew."
[01:59.19]Mr Suggs is not alone,
[02:01.72]about 10 percent of the employees at the market are deaf.
[02:07.31]Another deaf employee, Alena Francis, says
[02:12.73]dealing with some hearing customers can be difficult.
[02:17.06]"When they find out that I am deaf,
[02:18.70]it kind of throws them off a little bit.
[02:20.05]And sometimes they will ignore me and just walk away."
[02:22.44]Cary Barbin is a deaf customer at Union Market.
[02:26.18]He explains through a interpreter what he likes about it.
[02:31.85]"I love the fact that this is a sign language environment.
[02:34.34]Many of the employees sign,
[02:35.78]so I can order my food in American Sign Language."
[02:37.97]The market's user-friendly design
[02:40.86]also appeals to the deaf community.
[02:43.89]Gallaudet planning director Hansel Bauman
[02:47.82]urged the developer to build a 'deaf space',
[02:52.15]a space design to meet the needs of Deaf people.
[02:56.78]"In terms of visual language,
[02:58.38][they want] to be able to see one another
[03:00.97]and communicate clearly while they are walking.
[03:03.66]What that means is,
[03:04.85]you're not looking at the path forward.
[03:06.44]So you need a little bit more room."
[03:08.05]Union Market has lots of light,
[03:10.82]all the food sellers are in one big space,
[03:15.36]and the walkways between them are wider
[03:18.96]than you would find in many other stores.
[03:21.74]Developer Steve Boyle says
[03:24.93]those features also have a wider objective.
[03:28.57]"The market itself really
[03:31.36]was meant to be an anchor for the community."
[03:33.80]And that's the Health Report from VOA Learning English.