Minnesota North Star Academy, St. Paul, MN

Ready to embark on its second year as a charter school for deaf students who are bilingual in American Sign Language and English, Minnesota North Star Academy is already host to some substantial student research. This past year, a team of student researchers partnered with national restaurant chain TGIFridays to confront an often overlooked problem: How can a restaurant better serve deaf customers?

The students conducted in-depth survey research on the experiences of deaf customers in fast food restaurants. Now, they are developing a training guide and video to educate restaurant employees about sensitive and respectful communication with deaf patrons. The students hope to have a nation-wide impact; their guide will be used as a training tool across the nation's 500 TGIFriday's restaurants.

Final Products Our deaf-friendly restaurant survey Questions for in-depth interviews Checklist for how deaf-friendly a restaurant is

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