Neighbors Learn Sign Language to Talk with Deaf 2-Yr-Old in MA

Even before toddlers can speak, family members, friends, and even strangers in line at the grocery store say hi, ask their names, and talk "at" them. Hearing people speak to them before they can respond is how humans learn to talk so quickly; but what if they lost that interaction? Two-year-old Samantha Savitz is deaf but that doesn't stop her wanting to chat with everyone she can. It's clear to Sam's neighbors that her personality blossoms when she's able to communicate with more than a shared smile and wave, however so few people know American Sign Language that it's rare Sam gets to converse with a complete stranger.

It was too big of an ask for Sam's parents to request her neighbors learn American Sign Language, but there was no need; they took it upon themselves. Watch Sam's story unravel in the below video, along with her neighbors' solution to making her feel like a welcome member of her community: a shared American Sign Language class. This is what Mister Rogers was trying to teach us! If this story doesn't scream "won't you be my neighbor," I don't know what will.