Dyslexic Teen Helps A Deaf And Blind Man During A Flight

Lynette Scribner recently shared a story on Facebook of an amazing encounter she had on an Alaska Airlines flight. Timothy Cook was flying home after visiting his sister. Cook, who is blind and deaf, lives at Brookdale Senior Living facility in Portland.

Other passengers on the flight went out of their way to help make Cook comfortable. A man gave Cook the aisle seat as well as helped him put creamer in his coffee but they had a very hard time communicating. Cook can only communicate with ASL (American Sign Language).

After asking if anyone on the plane knew ASL, 15-year-old Clara Daly stepped up to the plate. Daly learned ASL because she had dyslexia and it was the easiest language for her to learn. Daly communicated with Cook by signing into his hand.

“After the flight, Clara told me she thought it was meant to be that our original flight was canceled and we were placed on this flight, so she could be there to help Tim,” Jane Daly told Alaska Airlines.

Scribner’s Facebook post reads:
“I saw this gentleman, Tim, in Boston’s Logan airport with the sister he’d been visiting. It appeared he was both deaf and blind, as I observed her signing into his hand for him to feel her words. When he came aboard the plane he had been assigned the middle seat of my row. The kind gentleman named Eric, who had the aisle seat, graciously gave it up for him. At this point Tim was traveling alone.”

“The flight attendants sincerely wanted to assist him, but had no way to communicate. I watched as they didn’t flinch when he reached out to touch their faces and arms. They took his hand and tried so hard to communicate with him, to no avail. He had some verbal ability, but clearly could not understand them. Eric did his best to assist him with things like opening coffee creamer and putting it in his coffee. When Tim made the attempt to stand up and feel his way to the restroom, Eric immediately got up to help him.”

The post continues:
“The flight attendants were talking among themselves and someone suggested paging to see if anyone on board knew sign language. That’s when this lovely young woman came into the picture. 15 years old, she learned ASL because she had dyslexia and it was the easiest foreign language for her to learn. For the rest of the flight she attended to Tim and made sure his needs were met. 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. When he asked her if she was pretty, she blushed and laughed as Eric, who had learned a few signs, communicated an enthusiastic yes to Tim.”

“I don’t know when I’ve ever seen so many people rally to take care of another human being. All of us in the immediate rows were laughing and smiling and enjoying his obvious delight in having someone to talk to. Huge kudos to the flight attendants of Alaska Airlines who went above and beyond to meet Tim’s needs. I can’t say enough about this beautiful young woman named Clara who didn’t think twice about helping her fellow passenger, and Eric’s instant willingness to assist as well. It was a beautiful reminder, in this time of too much awfulness, that there are still good, good people who are willing to look out for each other.”