Blaine Crockford has spent six years working for Lowe’s in his home of Charlotte, North Carolina. He loves helping customers find what they need to get their home improvement projects done right.
But for Blaine, who is Deaf, it’s not always easy to know when a customer needs his assistance.
“Once in a while, a customer has gotten upset with me. I’ll turn my head around and see that they’ve been calling me for help,” he explained. “They were not aware that I am Deaf.”
Blaine raised this issue with store management a few months ago. To solve the problem, his managers created a shirt to let customers know that he was Deaf, with a message on the back reading “Please tap me on the shoulders for help.”
“When I have the shirt on, it makes it so convenient for the customer and myself,” Blaine said. “They tap my shoulder and use their phones to text me their questions. I just want to help customers and see them walk out of the store with a smile, ready to complete their project successfully.”
When news of Blaine's custom shirt reached the Culture, Diversity & Inclusion team, team member Erica Crane (who is deaf) was a natural choice to scale the project, helping to further support the more than 1,100 Deaf and Hard of Hearing associates across the country.
Armed with valuable feedback from focus groups (consisting of people from the Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities, as well as field associates) the team created special American Sign Language (ASL) red vests, camo vests, badges, and pins to help promote open and seamless communication between every Lowe’s customer and associate. These new materials will be available to all who need them by the end of the fiscal year.
For the third year in a row, Lowe’s has been named a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion by Disability:IN NC, with a 100% score on the 2021 Disability Equality Index (DEI). The company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is guided by a desire to provide the best service to all of our customers — fostering a culture that can engage and unleash the brilliance of the full workforce. More diversity in the team, services, and solutions means a better Lowe's, for every community served.
It’s estimated that over 430 million people worldwide have a hearing loss, and awareness is a key component to promoting accessibility and inclusion.
“Deafness is ultimately an invisible disability,” Erica said. “And that doesn’t make life any easier for those affected. I’m proud of these new materials, and I hope the Deaf and Hard of Hearing associates will be proud to wear them as well — and to know Lowe’s is invested in their success.”
September is National Deaf Awareness Month, and as part of this, September 23rd is International Day of Sign Languages. Join Lowe’s as the company celebrates the linguistic identity and cultural diversity of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities, as well as raises awareness for the issues faced by Deaf and Hard of Hearing people. Making change means coming together as allies, whether you identify as Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or Hearing.
