A Starbucks regular got service with more than just a smile last week after a cashier told him she had been learning American Sign Language just to communicate better with him, according to the Washington Post. Ibby Piracha, who lives in Leesburg, Va., and is deaf, posted about the interaction on Facebook, where it quickly went viral.
Piracha is a frequent customer at the Starbucks in question, purchasing coffee there once or twice a week. He usually uses his phone to order his drink and was surprised on Friday morning to be handed a piece of paper by the cashier telling him that she was learning sign language, according to ABC News.
"I've been learning ASL just so you can have the same experience as everyone else," the note reads in Piracha's Facebook post. After handing over the note, the cashier proceeded to surprise Piracha further by asking what he wanted to order in sign language, according to ABC affiliate WJLA.
The move is one that Piracha considers to be a show of support for the deaf community, telling the Washington Post that often deaf people "feel kind of pushed away" and that he wishes "hearing people were a little more assertive to learn more about us and our community." In sharing the post on Facebook, Piracha hoped that hearing people would "see and understand" how the hearing community can support the deaf community.
"She was saying she looked on YouTube because she had a lot of customers that came in using text," Piracha told ABC News. "I was very surprised she was willing to learn [sign language], and it shows she respects deaf people... She's an inspiration."
A spokesperson for Starbucks said that the company is proud that the employee is "taking this initiative to learn American Sign Language." Employees at the Starbucks location told the media that they could not be available for comment.
