Hearing-impaired staff members of Silence Coffee pose for a group photo. (Photo/Chinanews.com)    

In a coffee shop located in Xincheng district, Xi’an, capital of northwest China’s Shaanxi province, three of the four baristas are hearing-impaired, Chinanews.com reported Wednesday.

Customers can order and communicate with these baristas with the help of friendly reminders and pictures of sign language that can be easily seen inside the shop.

Named "Silence Coffee", the shop is in fact a business incubator jointly established by units including the local sub-district office and the Disabled Persons’ Federation of Xincheng District, aiming to help disabled people integrate into society.

“We hope they can secure new employment opportunities and become comfortable to communicate with others by learning skills in the shop. This can be very helpful for them,” said Luo Tian, who is in charge of the shop.

Luo disclosed that he plans to change the staff members every several months once the workers have acquired skills to find a job, so that more people with disabilities can have the opportunity to learn new skills.

Wang Lichao, manager of the coffee shop, is the only barista at the shop without a hearing impairment. Working in the field for decades, in order to teach the hearing-impaired staff members how to make coffee and other drinks, Wang has been trying hard to learn sign language.

“Since they have difficulty communicating with others, learning new skills can be very hard for them. They may need 10 times more demonstration and practice than able-bodied people do to acquire a new skill,” noted Wang.

The coffee shop holds public welfare courses on subjects such as coffee making, fine arts, and sign language every week. Children from nearby schools and residents living in the locality of the coffee shop have taken part in these courses.

The opening of Silence Coffee in residential communities has brought people closer to public welfare undertakings, said Xu Jie, a local official, explaining that such practices can help causes of the public good benefit more people in a better way. 

Hearing-impaired staff members of Silence Coffee wait for customers to order. (Photo/Chinanews.com)    

Hearing-impaired staff members of Silence Coffee use sign language to communicate with each other. (Photo/Chinanews.com)    

Hearing-impaired staff members of Silence Coffee take public welfare classes together with local residents. (Photo/Chinanews.com)