Pharmacy specialized in employment and services for deaf people

Since taking on the first deaf apprentice in 2008, the Vienna-based pharmacy has now trained two and employed a third deaf pharmacist. In addition, sign language courses were offered for hearing staff. For customers, the pharmacy offers barrier-free health information, including videos in sign language.

Marien Apotheke is a small Vienna-based pharmacy, founded in 1909 which has specialized in the support of deaf customers. In 2008, the pharmacy hired a deaf apprentice, unique in Austria, and later on trained pharmaceuticals assistants who are deaf as well and began to provide sign language courses for staff to communicate with deaf customers. Marien Apotheke is attracting customers with hearing impairments from all over Vienna and its surroundings.

Problems Targeted

There are very few deaf people working in the Austrian health sector, and deaf customers are under-serviced.

Solution, Innovation and Impact

In 2008, Marien Apotheke hired a deaf apprentice, and – after seeing the impact and potential of these new competencies - in 2013 hired a deaf graduate of a pharmaceutical study in Austria2013. He was the first and is still the only deaf pharmacist in Austria, graduating in Ljubljana, Slovenia. After that, Marien Apotheke developed its strategy by building a barrier-free work and training environment for deaf people in the pharmacy, and for customers to get fully comprehensible and accessible advice. Sign language courses have been attended also by the hearing staff to communicate with deaf customers. Marien Apotheke the main contact point for deaf customers for pharmaceutical services in Vienna and Lower Austria, the province surrounding Vienna. Marien Apotheke has created a barrier-free newsletter, along with free health information videos and lectures in Austrian sign language. In 2020 the pharmacy employs three deaf staff members and has recently employed two staff members with Asperger Syndrome who are supported through mentorships and clearly defined workflows.

Funding, Outlook and Transferability

The project does not require additional funding. The programmes of the Ministry of Social Affairs partly fund the salaries of the deaf staff members and the sign language interpreters, according to Vienna regulations for subsidies. The Fonds Soziales Wien (The Vienna Social Fund) partly funds the mentoring of the staff with Asperger Syndrome. MA aims to improve the service in Austrian sign language in the coming years. As of 2020 it is in the process of obtaining FairForAll, a certification for accessibility. Additional services such as medication management in sign language are being evaluated.

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