Teenager Helps Deaf and Blind Man to Communicate on Flight

It was chance that brought Clara Daly and Tim Cook together. It was an act of kindness that brought their story to the attention of millions.

Clara, 15, was travelling home to California from Boston, US, with her mother when their flight was cancelled. They were rebooked onto a flight to Portland, Oregon.

Tim Cook, 64, was also flying to Portland. Mr Cook is deaf and blind, and was travelling alone.

Fellow passenger Lynette Scriber, who was sat in the same row as Mr Cook, wrote on Facebook that he had “no way to communicate with cabin crew”.

In a final attempt to communicate with Mr Cook, airline staff made an announcement asking if any passengers knew sign language.

This is when Clara, who has been learning American Sign Language (ASL) for a year, came forward.

The teenager spelled out words using ASL onto the palms of Tim’s hands, allowing him to feel the letters.

In a viral Facebook post about the interaction, Lynette Scriber, explained: “It was fascinating to watch as she signed one letter at a time into his hand. He was able to ‘read’ her signing and they carried on an animated conversation.”

Ms Scriber’s post has received over a million positive reactions and has been shared more than 700,000 times.