Disneyland characters communicate with deaf child using sign language

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Friday, June 16, 2017
Disneyland characters use sign language to communicate with boy who is deaf
Disneyland characters use sign language to communicate with boy who is deaf"The child is typically not a hugger, so the fact that he hugged both Minnie and Mickey spoke volumes to the joy he felt."

Here is a truly magical moment from The Happiest Place on Earth.

Olive Crest is an organization that serves over 3,500 at-risk kids and families throughout California, Nevada and Washington. On one of the group's recent trips to Disneyland, they arranged a very special moment for a boy who is deaf.

"The family arranged to have an ASL translator present during this trip to Disneyland, however, the characters were not briefed on the visit before the child got there," a representative of Olive Crest told ABC.

The child got the chance to meet Mickey, Minnie and Pluto. Video of their encounter shows Mickey and Minnie using sign language to communicate with him. Afterwards, the excited boy then gave Minnie and Mickey a hug.

"The child was ecstatic after meeting the characters because he didn't know they would speak 'his language,'" the representative said. "The child is typically not a hugger, so the fact that he hugged both Minnie and Mickey spoke volumes to the joy he felt."

Olive Crest shared video of the encounter on Facebook, where it received over 375,000 views. They hope that the touching moment will show people "that with a little love and 'magic,' that you can truly make a child's dream come true and provide them a bright memory that can last a lifetime."

The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of Disney Parks and Resorts and this station.

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