イビー・ピラチャさんは、地元バージニア州リーズバーグのスターバックスに週に3回通っている。 ピラチャさんは聴覚がなく、飲み物のオーダーをする時にスマートフォンに文字を入力して、カウンター越しに店員に見せる必要があった。
しかし、そんなピラチャさんの日常に変化が訪れようとしている。
スターバックスのバージニア州リーズバーグ支店のある店員が、ピラチャさんのような人を温かく迎えたいという思いから、ある決意をしたのだ。
ピラチャさんは最近、スターバックスで1枚のメモを手渡された。そこには「あなたが他のお客様と同じようにスターバックスを楽しめるように、手話を勉強しています」と書かれていた。
ピラチャさんは2月19日に、このメモの画像をFacebookでシェアした。「私が週3回、ここのスターバックスに通っているとの理由で、店員さんが手話を勉強してくれていることに驚きました。彼女は手話で『お飲み物は何にされますか？』と聞いてきてくれたんです。本当に嬉しかったです」
インディペント紙によると、ピラチャさんは「私の方から、彼女に何かお願いするようなことはしていません。彼女は自ら進んでこのメモをくれたのです」と述べたという。
「私たちのように耳の不自由な人のコミュニティをサポートしてくれる人がいるのは嬉しいです。私たちは時に、周りから突き放されたような気持ちになることがあるのです。このことで、より多くの人がもっと私たちのことを積極的を知ってくれるようになったら嬉しいです」
ピラチャさんのFacebookの投稿は2万以上のいいね！を押され、多くの人がこのスターバックスの店員の行動で、自分も手話の勉強を学ぼうという気持ちになったとコメントしている。
Facebookユーザーの1人、アルフレッド・バルガスさんは「素晴らしいです。もっと多くの人が自ら進んでこのような行動をするようになって欲しいです。私もアメリカ手話の辞書を買いに行こうと思います。きっと役立つでしょうから」と述べた。
この記事はハフポストUK版に掲載されたものを翻訳しました。
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A cappuccino coffee sits in a Starbucks Corp. Reserve cup, used for specialist coffee, on the counter at a Starbucks coffee shop in London, U.K., on Friday, Oct. 16, 2015. Coffee futures fell the most in seven months after Colombia announced measures that will increase exports, spurred by the plight of farmers in the country who are dealing with drought conditions linked to the El Nino weather pattern. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images (credit:Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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An employee pours a cup of coffee into a Reserve cup, used for specialist coffee, at a Starbucks Corp. coffee shop in London, U.K., on Friday, Oct. 16, 2015. Coffee futures fell the most in seven months after Colombia announced measures that will increase exports, spurred by the plight of farmers in the country who are dealing with drought conditions linked to the El Nino weather pattern. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images (credit:Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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An employee pours a cappuccino coffee into a Reserve cup, used for specialist coffee, at a Starbucks Corp. coffee shop in London, U.K., on Friday, Oct. 16, 2015. Coffee futures fell the most in seven months after Colombia announced measures that will increase exports, spurred by the plight of farmers in the country who are dealing with drought conditions linked to the El Nino weather pattern. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images (credit:Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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