NPR

Deaf-Owned Eateries Forge Path To Fight Joblessness Among Those With Hearing Loss

There are few employment opportunities for deaf or hearing-impaired people. But funding, training and business partnerships with deaf-friendly establishments are slowly helping to turn that around.
Mozzeria is one of the most talked-about pizzerias in the heart of a vibrant San Francisco neighborhood. Every staff member employed at the restaurant identifies as deaf or hard of hearing.

I can feel the warmth from the wood-burning oven just over my shoulder and catch myself intermittently gazing off into a heat-induced trance from the blaze.

Despite the place feeling crowded (probably another reason for the heat), it's eerily quiet inside: My table of five occasionally lowers our voices as if we were in the library. But a library this is not: Mozzeria is one of the most talked-about pizzerias in the heart of a vibrant San Francisco neighborhood, where wait times on Saturday nights can extend as long as two hours.

The reason for the unnaturally reserved ambiance might be because every staff member

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