When Lynette Scribner took to Facebook to write about a recent experience on Alaskan Airlines, she never thought the story would touch the hearts of millions of people.
“I can’t say enough about this beautiful young woman named Clara who didn’t think twice about helping her fellow passenger,” Lynette wrote to Frank Somerville on June 20th, 2018. “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.”
On a recent flight with Alaskan Airlines, Scribner and other passengers witnessed a passenger called Tim traveling alone. While somebody traveling solo might not seem anything out of the ordinary, Tim was both deaf and blind. This meant that as much as the airline staff attempted to communicate with him, they struggled.
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. After some brainstorming amongst the crew, they decided to make an announcement asking if anyone on board knew sign language. That was when 15-year-old Clara came into the picture.
Clara had learned ASL (American Sign Language) as she has dyslexia, so it was easier for her to learn than a foreign language. Introducing herself to Tim, Clara sat with him for the rest of the flight. They would communicate one letter at a time, signing each individual letter into Tim’s hands so that he could feel them.
