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Heartwarming moment dyslexic teen helps deaf, blind man on flight

Passengers on a packed flight have been left in awe after a teenage girl used sign language to help a blind and deaf man.

Teenager uses sign language to communicate with blind and deaf man (2018).

A teen is being praised for her act of kindness during a cross-country flight. Source: Facebook/Jane Daly

A US teen has touched hearts around the world after helping a blind and deaf man who was alone on a flight.

Tim Cook was heading home on an Alaska Airlines flight after visiting his sister, but couldn't communicate with attendants.

When an air steward asked over the intercom if anyone knew sign language, 15-year-old Clara Daly stepped in.

A California teen stepped up to help a blind and deaf man who was alone on a flight and needed help communicating.
Clara Daly signed one letter at a time into his hand Source: Facebook/Jane Daly

The flight attendants explained Mr Cook was only able to understand "finger-spelling", a method of spelling words using hand movements.

Clara is dyslexic and had started learning sign language about a year ago as a better way to communicate without having to read or write.

Her proud mother, Jane, was one of many passengers on board who watched on as she knelt down alongside Mr Cook ad started to gesture into the palm of his hand.

She shared her daughter's act of kindness on Facebook.

“They explained that the passenger was not only deaf but also blind. The only way you can communicate with him was by signing into his hand,” Ms Daly wrote on Facebook.

Mrs Cook said she helped him ask for water and how much longer was left on the flight.

"Several times he requested her assistance throughout the flight. Toward the end of the flight he asked for her again, and this time he just wanted to talk. She spent the remainder of the flight until landing with him. He asked her lots of questions, and she signed-spelt the answers into his hand."

Over 1,600 people have liked a series of images shared by Mrs Daly, showing Clara gesturing into Mr Cook’s hand with a big smile on her face.

The story was also shared by Lynette Scribner who sat in the same row as Mr Cook. Her version of the story has already received over 1.1 million likes on Facebook.

Mrs Daly said she was proud of her daughter.

"The flight attendants and the passengers around him were all taken by Clara. They took these photos which they shared with me this morning," she wrote.


2 min read

Published

Updated

By Samantha Beniac-Brooks



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