 Lunchtime food vendor Thaddeus Suggs has no trouble taking an order from deaf customers at this store in Washington's Union Market. Communication is easy because the 23-year-old cook is fluent in American sign language. Suggs, who also is deaf, began working at the market soon after it opened last year. That's when he took a break from studying across the street at Gallaudet University, the only one in the world designed to accommodate deaf and hard-of-hearing students. With the help of Gallaudet interpreter Carolyn Ressler, Suggs explains what he likes about his job. Well one nice thing is it's so close to Gallaudet, which is by the way is the deaf mecca, and with that we're providing services to the Gallaudet community as well as the community at large. Suggs can read lips and interact with people verbally as well. His boss at the Takarian store Ross Mayhood says that makes Suggs a well-rounded communicator. He's probably the most valued member of our staff and has really been a big part about how popular we are with the Gallaudet crew. Suggs is not alone. Deaf employees make up about 10 percent of the market's workforce. They also attract regular customers like Kerry Barbin. I love the fact that this is a sign language environment. Many of the employees sign so I can order my food in American Sign Language. Another attraction for the deaf community is the market's user-friendly layout. Gallaudet planning director Hansel Ballman encouraged the developer to build a deaf space that is sensitive to deaf people's needs. In terms of visual language to be able to see one another and communicate clearly while you're walking, what that means is you're not looking at the pathway forward so you need a little bit more Union marketers try to incorporate several aspects of deaf space into its design. There's lots of light, all the vendors are in one big room and the aisles between them are wider than you would find in a typical store. Developer Steve Boyle of Edens says those features also have a broader objective. The market itself really was meant to be an anchor for the community. Was it truly designed around deaf design principles? Simply because we don't really understand them the way we need to yet. Alina Francis, another deaf employee, says dealing with some customers can be challenging. When they find out that I'm deaf, it kind of throws them off a little bit and sometimes people react very harshly and it's kind of hard. They'll ignore me and just walk away. But Suggs says the market also promotes understanding. I'm really happy that this was established as a business. Because you know, once again, it's just another place where deaf and hearing people can come together and just kind of hang out, live together. Michael Lippin, VOA News, Washington.