Sorry if posted before, first time I've seen this 
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Deaf girl's dreams come true when Tinkerbell talks to her with sign language
- Thread starter mergatroid
- Start date
cheesecake
Active Member
I love this place!
This brought tears to my eyes, and made me remember what makes Disney so special. Disney is absolutely a business, and as such the goal is to be profitable. But it's also something so much more. To make sure there were CMs who could sign WHILE in costume so that this little girl could communicate directly with her favorite characters is above what most people would expect. Disney really strives to be a place of inclusion for all people.
This brought tears to my eyes, and made me remember what makes Disney so special. Disney is absolutely a business, and as such the goal is to be profitable. But it's also something so much more. To make sure there were CMs who could sign WHILE in costume so that this little girl could communicate directly with her favorite characters is above what most people would expect. Disney really strives to be a place of inclusion for all people.
Superpocky
Active Member
Do all CMs know how to sign? Is this something Disney encourages or CMs learn on thier time? Awesome either way and reinforces why I love this place so much 
Chef Mickey
Well-Known Member
Disney > *
Lucky
Well-Known Member
No. It's not easy and takes a lot of time to learn.
Superpocky
Active Member
How to you meet the characters that can sign?
Lucky
Well-Known Member
I don't know but I'd call the numbers listed here...
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/hearing-impaired-services/
JohnD
Well-Known Member
Sorry if posted before, first time I've seen this
There's a video of a Captain America doing the same thing in DL. Yes, Captain America is licensed there, not WDW.
JIMINYCR
Well-Known Member
Wonderful that they were able to hit upon characters during their visit that could sign. Years ago I was proficient in signing because of my work but lost much of it after changing jobs and didnt keep up with it. Still can muddle through enough to manage a brief conversation. A very difficult process for a character to manage with bulky gloves on.
SyracuseDisneyFan
Well-Known Member
So sweet 
danyoung56
Well-Known Member
To be fair, there was nothing in that story that said that Disney did anything in particular. It was just a coincidence that Tink could sign - she was not in any way placed there due to her ability to sign. Still, a very cool video!
cheesecake
Active Member
Also, I'm going out on a limb to assume that the CM's who can sign are paid extra for that special skill? (If not, they should be!)
cheesecake
Active Member
True, I did make that assumption, also based on Minnie Mouse being able to sign as well. But what are the odds of your average 19-24 year old just happening to know sign language, AND being able to pass the rigorous requirements to be a face character? I would be willing to bet the parents called ahead of time and scheduled meetings.
danyoung56
Well-Known Member
And I'd be willing to bet that it's just luck of the draw. If this were really a thing, Disney would have found a way to monetize it - "For only $75 you can schedule a meet with your favorite characters and have them speak sign language!"
Jimmy Thick
Well-Known Member
It's easy to learn if you have someone to learn it with you and can get into the "culture" of the language. My wife and I learned by signing to each other instead of talking while taking classes before we had children.
To put it bluntly, ASL was far easier to learn than German and Iam fluent in both.
bethymouse
Well-Known Member
epcotisbest
Well-Known Member
Fun, uplifting piece @mergatroid Thanks for sharing.
Looking at the footage in that video the Tinkerbell meet looks like it was filmed by her parents on a cheaper camera. The 'story' looks like it's been filmed and edited by professionals as does the Minnie meet (look at the quality and numerous camera angles). If I had to guess I'd say the Tink meet was a chance meet and then Disney got involved in making a 'story' from it and made sure they found a Minnie that could sign for some extra footage?
Whatever the circumstances however, Shaylee seemed to love it which is the most important part.
disneyKaiju
Well-Known Member
I shared this with my gf's family, half of which is hard of hearing, and they say THANK YOU!
DrummerAlly
Well-Known Member
Many people (myself included) know very basic sign language from learning some from school or work at some point in time. That tinker bell is signing a very basic phrase (my name is T I N K), very slowly, just like a novice would. Minnie mouse also had a very basic phrase and one that was able to be done in bulky gloves, which is still impressive. From that video I think it's pretty obvious that Tinkerbell happened by chance. Disney is definitely not deploying sign language characters throughout the park. So cool Love the magic that's made at Disney by cast members.
Love the magic that's made at Disney by cast members.