The child was part of an at-risk youth program
It has to be challenging to be a young child with a hearing disability. Communicating with your peers is hard enough as a toddler, but when you can’t hear, it must be immeasurably difficult. That’s why a video recently posted by Olive Crest is so touching. It shows one of the nonprofit’s children communicating through sign language with Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto at Disneyland.
Interactions like the one in the video aren’t exactly rare at Disneyland. Disney has a long history of making its attractions inclusive for the deaf community. In 2008, Disney was awarded the National Association of the Deaf’s Access Award for its sign language interpreting service at its parks. Most of the shows, parades, and attractions offer American Sign Language interpretations services. Disney has even created its own signs for its characters to teach hearing-impaired customers.
Olive Crest is a nonprofit that provides safe homes, counseling, and education for abused, neglected, and at-risk children.