2-year-old Samantha Savitz is absolutely adorable. If you’re around her for more than a couple of seconds, you’ll find yourself smiling, and loving her infectious laughter. But the little girl who lives with her parents in Newton, Massachusetts, is quite a different toddler. She is deaf. But even with that, she tries to chat it up with everyone who happens by, and she just loves it when you can communicate with her through sign language… yes, she knows that.
But so many others there… and pretty much everywhere else… do not know how to sign. Her neighbors wanted to communicate with little Samantha, but they just couldn’t… because they didn’t know sign language. Others in the community felt the same way… they wanted to communicate with the happy little girl too but, again, there was that language barrier. Many of them wanted to communicate with Samantha so bad… that they did something about it.
They all got together and hired an instructor to teach them sign language. That instructor was Rhys McGovern, and to him, it was an incredible thing that so many people wanted to learn to sign so they could communicate with that little girl. Sadly, he said, many parents don’t even take the time to learn sign language to communicate with their own child.
Says Rhys: “But here Sam has a full community that’s signing and communicating with her and her family, and it’s a beautiful story.”
And Samantha’s parents, Glenda and Raphael, say they can’t even find the words to express their gratitude to the community for coming together just so they can communicate with their daughter. Samantha even comes in at the end of many classes so she can talk to all of her neighbors. And the one word she signs most often… is “friend.”
We are sure you enjoyed the above story… watch for more: https://youtu.be/ljEC5t7xMJo?t=207
