No One Could Understand Deaf-Blind Man On Flight Until A 15-Year-Old Girl Took His Hands

Oct 27, 2020

While on a plane ride to Portland from Boston in 2018, a man who was both deaf and blind was frightened when the plane experienced some sudden turbulence. That's when a 15-year-old named Clara Daly held his hands and offered him some comfort by finger-spelling sign language into his hand. Other passengers took pictures and videos of the touching scene and Clara's act of kindness soon went viral.

There are so many stories on the news about people being cruel to one another or claiming that young people don't care, but on an Alaska Airlines flight Lynette Scribner witnessed just the opposite. One of the other passengers on the flight was a man who was both deaf and blind, and the staff and the man's seatmate were working hard to try to accommodate him.

That's when the flight staff got the idea to ask over the intercom whether anyone on the plane knew sign language. A then 15-year-old girl named Clara Daly, who had learned sign language because her dyslexia meant she struggled with other foreign languages, came forward, as CBS reports.

The young woman introduced herself to the man, communicating by signing into his palm so that he could "read" what she was saying despite being unable to see it. She stayed with him for the entire flight, chatting, laughing, and warming the hearts of passengers around them. The man asked her many questions, and she patiently answered them all.

Lynette Scribner, one of the other passengers took a photo of their encounter and shared it online. In a matter of days, the story was shared over 600,000 times, as CBS reports. Still, Clara remained very humble:

“I got so much attention for doing something that was natural to me”  she said. “I just wanted to help.”

As the Calabasas Courier reported in 2019, Clara is not done with doing good in this world. As a sophomore, she was involved in multiple political movements; for example, she is standing up for women's rights.

“My goal is to make a difference and to see a change in this world,” Clara states. “No difference is going to be made if you don’t start somewhere, and even the smallest things count.”

Can you think of a time when you witnessed an astonishing act of compassion from one human being to another? Let us know in the comments and be sure to pass this incredible story along to others!