Tap me on the shoulder for help

Blaine Crockford has spent six years working for Lowe’s in his hometown of Charlotte, N.C., penned Lowe’s staff writer Max Henson, adding: He loves helping customers find what they need to get their home improvement projects done right. 

But for Crockford, 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,” Crockford explained. “They were not aware that I am deaf.”

Crockford 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,” Crockford 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 Crockford’s custom shirt reached Lowe’s 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 Lowe’s associates across the country, the article explained.

Armed with valuable feedback from focus groups, which consisted 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 Lowe’s associates who need them by the end of the fiscal year.

“Deafness is ultimately an invisible disability,” Crane 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.”

It’s estimated that over 430 million people worldwide have hearing loss, and awareness is a key component to promoting accessibility and inclusion. September is National Deaf Awareness Month.