VOA标准英语2013--华盛顿食品市场成为聋人社区的中心

 

Washington Food Market Becomes Hub for Deaf Community 华盛顿食品市场成为聋人社区的中心

WASHINGTON — A year-old food market in a Washington, D.C., neighborhood has become a unique hub of shopping and dining for the city's Deaf community.

One feature that draws many hard of hearing customers to Union Market is the ability to communicate with staff members like Thadeus Suggs. The 23-year-old lunchtime food vendor¹ from Seattle interacts with them easily because he is fluent in American Sign Language.

Suggs, who also is deaf, began working at the historic market weeks after it opened in September 2012, following a major renovation².

Since then, Suggs has been on leave from his undergraduate studies across the street at Gallaudet University - the only university in the world specifically designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students.

With the help of Gallaudet interpreter Carolyn Ressler, Suggs explained what he likes about his job.

'Deaf Mecca'

"One nice thing is it is so close to Gallaudet, which by the way is the 'Deaf Mecca'," he said. "And with that, we are providing services to the Gallaudet community as well as the community at large. I think they benefit from it, as do I."

Suggs can read lips and interact with people verbally, as well. His boss at the TaKorean store, Ross Mayhood, said that makes him a well-rounded communicator.

"He is probably the most valuable member of our staff. And he has been a big part of how popular we are with the Gallaudet crew. There are maybe 10 to 15 people that come in every day and specifically just want to deal with him."

Deaf employees make up about 10 percent of the market's workforce³. They also attract regular customers like Cary Barbin, who works at the nearby Gallaudet Clerc National Deaf Education Center.

"I love the fact that this is a sign language environment," said Barbin. "Many of the employees sign, so I can order my food in American Sign Language, and with that, there is not much of an issue."

Employment hub

About 8 million Americans have 'difficulty hearing', according to a 2012 estimate by the U.S. Census⁴ Bureau. It defines the term as "experiencing deafness or having difficulty hearing a normal conversation, even when wearing a hearing aid."

The Washington Metropolitan⁵ Area, where Union Market is based, provides those Americans with some of the best job opportunities in the country. The Census Bureau says 64 percent of working-age area residents who are hard of hearing have jobs, versus⁶ the national average of 49 percent for working-age people with difficulty hearing.

Market employee David Uzzell, a recent Gallaudet graduate who is deaf, said many people in his community also work for the U.S. government.

"They are very good about hiring deaf employees in the federal system," said Uzzell. "Educational institutions also predominantly hire Deaf students and graduates."

Friendly design

Another attraction of the market for the deaf community is its user-friendly layout.

Gallaudet planning director Hansel Bauman encouraged the developer to build a 'deaf space' that is sensitive to Deaf people's needs.

"In terms of visual language, [they want] to be able to see one another and communicate clearly while they are walking," said Bauman. "What that means is, you're not looking at the path forward. So you need a little bit more room, you need to have pathways that are clear of obstructions⁷."

Union Market has tried to incorporate several aspects of deaf space into its design. There is lots of light, all the vendors⁸ are in one big room, and the aisles⁹ between them are wider than in a typical store.

Developer Steve Boyle, managing director of retail¹⁰ real estate company EDENS, said those features also have a broader objective.

"The market itself really was meant to be an anchor for the community," he said.

"So whether you can hear or not, whether you are white or black, whether you are old or young, we have always seen Union Market as a special place for all folks in [Washington] D.C. It was not truly designed around deaf design principles, simply because we do not really understand them the way we need to - yet," said Boyle.

Overcoming barriers

Alena Francis, another deaf employee, said dealing¹¹ with some customers can be challenging.

"When they find out that I am deaf, it kind of throws them off a little bit. And sometimes people react very harshly and it is kind of hard. They will ignore me and just walk away."

But hard of hearing worker Emily Stemper said most people she encounters at the market are more understanding, even the staff.

"The hearing people who work here are all willing to learn sign language," she said. "And even if they do not know much, they still try, or they use the paper and pen method, or even gestures."

Stemper, a Gallaudet student who is on leave, said that positive attitude toward the Deaf community makes the market unusual among U.S. retailers¹².

"You don't really see that outside of D.C. or the Northeast area [of the United States]. So it's really nice," she said. 

1 vendor   

n.卖主；小贩

参考例句：

• She looked at the vendor who cheated her the other day with distaste.她厌恶地望着那个前几天曾经欺骗过她的小贩。
• He must inform the vendor immediately.他必须立即通知卖方。

2 renovation   

n.革新，整修

参考例句：

• The cinema will reopen next week after the renovation.电影院修缮后，将于下星期开业。
• The building has undergone major renovation.这座大楼已进行大整修。

3 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

4 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

5 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

6 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

7 obstructions   

n.障碍物( obstruction的名词复数 )；阻碍物；阻碍；阻挠

参考例句：

• The absence of obstructions is of course an idealization. 没有障碍物的情况当然是一种理想化的情况。 来自辞典例句
• These obstructions could take some weeks to clear from these canals. 这些障碍物可能要花几周时间才能从运河中清除掉。 来自辞典例句

8 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

9 aisles   

n. (席位间的)通道, 侧廊

参考例句：

• Aisles were added to the original Saxon building in the Norman period. 在诺曼时期，原来的萨克森风格的建筑物都增添了走廊。
• They walked about the Abbey aisles, and presently sat down. 他们走到大教堂的走廊附近，并且很快就坐了下来。

10 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

11 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

12 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。