Showing posts with label Deaf. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Deaf. Show all posts

Monday, June 25, 2018

Teen Uses Sign Language to Assist Deaf and Blind Man on Flight

Flying in an airplane can feel frightening and isolating for anyone. This can be powerfully amplified for disabled passengers.


When an Alaska Airlines flight asked if anyone might be able to help communicate with a passenger who was both blind and deaf, a California teen stepped up.


That teen believes that she was put on that flight for a reason.




Alaska Airlines Clara Daly 1


An Alaska Airlines flight made an announcement, asking if anyone onboard knew sign language.


As it happened, a teen girl who is a Calabasas native, Clara Daly, has been learning ASL (American Sign Language), and she jumped at the chance to help.


There was a man on the flight with her who was not only deaf, but blind. As a result, she had to sign into his hand in order to communicate with him.


“They thought that he might need something,” Clara would later explain. “And they weren’t sure how to communicate.”


As it turns out, she says, no emergency situations came up in which she needed to translate. But she was still happy to help.


“He didn’t need anything,” Clara says. “He was just like lonely and wanted to talk”




Alaska Airlines Clara Daly 2


Clara’s mother, Jane Daly, shared a series of photos of the encounter and explained what had happened.


“Clara and I flew home yesterday.” Jane writes. “Our original flight from Boston was cancelled (of course!) so Alaskan Airline placed us on an earlier flight out.”


There’s always something when you fly, it seems.


“Clara and I made a mad dash to the airport to make the new flight! (we did, phew)” Jane says.


“Shortly after the flight took off,” Jane says. “A flight attendant made an announcement asking if anyone knew sign language.”


Fortunately, there was just one such person on the plane.


“Clara has been studying American Sign Language,” Jane says. “So she rang the flight attendant button.”


There was a twist, however.


“They explained that the passenger was not only deaf, but also blind,” Jane reveals.


Yes, like Helen Keller.


Jane explains what the attendant told them: “The only way you can communicate with him was by signing into his hand.”




Alaska Airlines Clara Daly 3


From what Jane says, Clara was eager to help.


“Clara jumped up and went to see if she could help…” Jane says proudly. “And she did!”


Jane had started learning ASL because of her own dyslexia, figuring that it was just another way to communicate without writing or reading, since her mind jumbles those letters.


Jane shares: “Several times he requested her assistance throughout the flight.”


Which may mean that Clara was being too modest when she claimed that he didn’t need her help, even if there were no emergencies.


“Toward the end of the flight he asked for her again,” Jane reveals. “And this time he just wanted to talk.”


“She spent the remainder of the flight until landing with him,” Jane says.


“He asked her lots of questions,” Jane explains. “And she signed-spelled the answers into his hand.”




Alaska Airlines Clara Daly 4


“The flight attendants and the passengers around him were all taken by Clara,” Jane says. “They took these photos which they shared with me this morning.”


That is so sweet. And Clara suggested that it might have been no mere coincidence.


“After the flight,” Jane reveals. “Clara told me that she thought it was meant to be that our original flight was cancelled and we were placed on this flight so that she could be there to help this man.”


That is such a positive way of looking at an otherwise unfortunate flight cancellation.


“His name is Timothy,” Jane shares. “Our original flight was direct to LA. The new flight had a layover in Portland. Timothy was flying to Portland.”


Jane also says that Clara is being modest about the entire thing.


“She’ll probably kill me for posting this, but – Proud of my girl. #alaskanairlines


Of course, that very sweet story went viral. Good news is always welcome.


There is no shortage of horrifying viral stories, after all. Especially from flights.



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Thursday, March 15, 2018

The Who"s Roger Daltrey Admits He"s "Very, Very Deaf" From Loud Rock Gigs

The Who’s frontman, Roger Daltrey, has apparently gone deaf from rock ‘n’ roll, and he’s got some advice for the youngins following in his footsteps … invest in earplugs. Roger was performing solo in Vegas when he made the shocking confession –…


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Thursday, January 11, 2018

Bella Thorne, Vile and Tone Deaf in Wake of Fatal Montecito Mudslides

Bella Thorne may get the award for the most self-absorbed celebrity after going off that the mudslides inconvenienced her because the debris is blocking her from attending her boyfriend’s concert. Thorne tweeted, then deleted this: Rob Lowe, who…


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Thursday, August 24, 2017

This America’s Got Talent Singer is Deaf. And Amazing.

No water was thrown on the set of America"s Got Talent on Tuesday night.


But jaws were definitely dropped.


About six weeks after Mandy Harvey first took the stage on this NBC reality show, the deaf singer performed in the quarterfinals, hoping to take yet another step closer to winning it all.


(Yes, Harvey really is deaf.)



The aspiring singer-songwriter lost her hearing at the age of 18 due to a connective tissue disorder, but she refuses to let this condition get in the way of her dreams.


"When I lost my hearing, music died. I lost my way of communicating. And my parents were the ones who encouraged me to find music again," Harvey said in a pre-recorded package before her live performance at the Dolby Theater this week.


"I was told for such a long time that you had to have hearing to enjoy music.


"But I"ve found that music was meant to be felt. Feeling everything move – feeling the song through the floor, feeling my voice."


Harvey earned a Golden Buzzer for her debut audition, along with the admiration of viewers everywhere.


Standing by herself with nothing but her ukulele in this case, the 29-year-old poured her heart with a lovely, original ballad titled "Mara"s Song," which she wrote for her close friend"s wedding.



There is so much I could say to you – so much I want to say," Simon Cowell said in response.


"But your music, and you, says it all. All I"m gonna say is you are and you will make a difference. That was stunning."


Added Heidi Klum:


"There was no backing track, there was no production around it. It was just you, your beautiful voice, your ukulele, and it was very powerful."



This really was a unique performance…


… but a unique individual.


Watch it for yourself – and prepare to stand up and clap immediately afterward.


Mandy harvey once again blows americas got talent judges away wo
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Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Deaf Singer Earns Golden Buzzer on AGT: Watch in Amazement!

It may be over already.


We may be able to call it after just a few episodes.


That"s how impressive Mandy Harvey was on America"s Got Talent this week.


The 29-year old singer made us think this competition has already found its winner, considering what we learned about her and what we heard from her on Tuesday night.



Due to a connective tissue disorder, Harvey lost her hearing at the age of 18.


“Everything that I ever wanted was going away,” she said in a video prior to her audition.


She then told Simon Cowell that she was able to sing through muscle memorization and visualization, as well as feeling the vibrations.


It sounded completely implausible at first, to be honest.


But then Harvey explained that she was going to sing a track she wrote herself titled "Try" because “I want to do more with my life than give up" and then she actually sang this song.


And it was incredible.



After she finished and after she received a well-deserved rousing ovation, Cowell told Harvey she didn’t need a translator for what he wanted to say.


That"s because he didn"t need any words.


He simply hit Golden Buzzer, moving Mandy instantly into the live rounds of the show and earning another standing ovation from the audience.


"That was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen and heard,” Cowell told an emotional Harvey, adding:


"I never think that I will be surprised or amazed by people… The song was beautiful."



It sure was.


Stop what you"re doing and check out one of the most mesmerizing performances you"ll ever see below.


Mandy harvey deaf singer earns golden buzzer on americas got tal
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Saturday, May 27, 2017

"DWTS" Winner Nyle DiMarco Outraged At Jimmy Fallon, Jamie Foxx For Making Fun of the Deaf with Sign Language (VIDEO)

Nyle DiMarco is outraged at Jamie Foxx and Jimmy Fallon for a skit he says mocks deaf people. Foxx was on Fallon’s show Thursday night and at one point Fallon tossed to a break. As he’s tossing, Jamie is doing fake sign-language to the camera. The…


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Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Kendall Jenner: SLAMMED For Tone Deaf Pepsi Commercial!

The Kardashian-Jenner clan has always had trouble staying on message politically.


After being hailed as an advocate for the trans community, Caitlyn Jenner stuck by her conservative, Republican views.


Kim and Kris supported Hillary in the 2016 presidential election … but then Kanye West met with Donald Trump during the president"s shady transition.


But no matter where you fall on the Kard clan political spectrum, one thing we can all agree on is that Kendall Jenner"s new Pepsi commercial is dumb as hell.


The ad seems to be aiming for a tone similar to that of the famous "I"d Like to Buy the World a Coke" commercial of 1970 by acknowledging the current climate of political strife while encouraging unity.


But man did it miss the mark by a mile.


For an indication of how mind-blowingly tone deaf the spot is, look no further than these side-by-side screengrabs:



Yes, that"s a bunch of cops recoiling in horror from a black woman while accepting the gift of ice cold Pepsi from Kendall.


It"s not hard to see why social media responded with a collective WTF?


The intention of the ad seems to be to give an approving nod to both protesters and police while … giving Kendall Jenner woke points?


We"re not really sure.


Whatever the intention, having Kenny save the day with with a crispy can of sugar water is just downright confusing.


When your ad could"ve benefited from the social consciousness of Don freakin" Draper, you know you messed up bad.


Kendall jenner slammed for tone deaf pepsi commercial
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Friday, May 27, 2016

Peta Murgatroyd on Deaf Dancing With The Stars Partner Nyle DiMarco: "I Had My Doubts"

On May 23rd, the won the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy, but that doesn"t mean that Dancing With The Stars duo Peta Murgatroyd and Nyle DiMarco were always 100% positive they would emerge victorious.  


In fact, Murgatroyd though the complete opposite when she learned she was going to be paired up with the deaf winner of America"s Next Top Model.


Murgatroyd, who hails from Perth, Australia, explained to the morning show that DiMarco comes from a family that has four generations of deaf members, and that he himself is 100% deaf.


"It was pretty challenging," the pro dancer told Australia"s Today show via satellite on March 27th.


"You know, when I first met him, I had to sit down and really strategise as to how I was going to get through the competition."


"I definitely had my doubts."


Murgatroyd explained how she not only got DiMarco to feel the rhythm, but she created an experiment that allowed viewers to understand what DiMarco experiences every week.


"We did do the silent dance, it was the paso doble. We cut the music for about four counts of eight," she explained. You know, I did that because I wanted to show America- and the world – what it"s like being in his position every Monday night.


It was scary, it was haunting, and people actually understood after that what he was going through and how crazy it is. He has this [built-in] rhythm in his body.  And I still, to this day, don"t know how he did it.  


"We got through it with little scratches on his back to make him faster, we had pulls and pushes. 


"It turned out great," she told the anchors.


"I mean, he did so well every single week and he just proved to people that anybody can dance and anybody can do this competition."


Watch Murgatroyd"s interview below


Peta murgatroyd on dancing with the stars partner nyle dimarco i

Peta Murgatroyd on Deaf Dancing With The Stars Partner Nyle DiMarco: "I Had My Doubts"

On May 23rd, the won the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy, but that doesn"t mean that Dancing With The Stars duo Peta Murgatroyd and Nyle DiMarco were always 100% positive they would emerge victorious.  


In fact, Murgatroyd though the complete opposite when she learned she was going to be paired up with the deaf winner of America"s Next Top Model.


Murgatroyd, who hails from Perth, Australia, explained to the morning show that DiMarco comes from a family that has four generations of deaf members, and that he himself is 100% deaf.


"It was pretty challenging," the pro dancer told Australia"s Today show via satellite on March 27th.


"You know, when I first met him, I had to sit down and really strategise as to how I was going to get through the competition."


"I definitely had my doubts."


Murgatroyd explained how she not only got DiMarco to feel the rhythm, but she created an experiment that allowed viewers to understand what DiMarco experiences every week.


"We did do the silent dance, it was the paso doble. We cut the music for about four counts of eight," she explained. You know, I did that because I wanted to show America- and the world – what it"s like being in his position every Monday night.


It was scary, it was haunting, and people actually understood after that what he was going through and how crazy it is. He has this [built-in] rhythm in his body.  And I still, to this day, don"t know how he did it.  


"We got through it with little scratches on his back to make him faster, we had pulls and pushes. 


"It turned out great," she told the anchors.


"I mean, he did so well every single week and he just proved to people that anybody can dance and anybody can do this competition."


Watch Murgatroyd"s interview below


Peta murgatroyd on dancing with the stars partner nyle dimarco i

Friday, September 25, 2015

Amber Heard Cries Tears Of Joy As She And Johnny Depp Provide Hearing Aids To The Deaf In Brazil

It puts into perspective all that we take for granted!


On Thursday, Johnny Depp was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to perform with his band The Hollywood Vampires at the Rock in Rio festival.


However, the 52-year-old and his wife Amber Heard took time out of their busy schedules to spread a little love and joy.


Related: Johnny Depp Says He Owes His Career To Wes Craven!


Teaming up with the Starkey Hearing Foundation, the actor and the 29-year-old handed out hearing aids to more than 200 deaf adults and children in the area.


The experience became extremely emotional for Heard who witnessed these individuals perceiving sound for the very first time in their lives.


In the (above) photo, the Magic Mike XXL star cried tears of joy with recipient Daniele Lopes.


What’s even more miraculous is that some of the men and woman were then taken to Depp’s show later that night and got to listen to music!


Again, for the first time ever!


We are completely touched by Johnny and Amber’s charitable efforts, and we hope the donees are experiencing all the wonders that sound can bring!


[Image via AP Images.]