Emotional Video of a Deaf Man: Moved to Tears That His Neighborhood Learned Sign Language Just to Talk to Him

11 Mar, 2015 by McGuire

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A deaf man was moved to tears after learning that his neighborhood had learned sign language just for him to promote the heartwarming message: ‘A world without barriers is our dream’. This will melt your heart when you see his reactions to those around him. Just a beautiful example of what we can do for each other if we only have the courage.

Muharrem was unwittingly placed at the centre of an elaborate stunt in which he was secretly filmed encountering a host of strangers in a series of staged meetings through Istanbul.

The footage begins with him setting out for the day with his sister Ozlem, who is in on the set-up.

Before long, Muharrem is taken aback when he encounters a stranger who signs ‘good morning’ to him.

His surprise only intensifies when, on a visit to his local food store, the shopkeeper offers him ‘hot bagels’ through hand signals.

Another encounter involves a stranger dropping a bag of fruit.

When Muharrem helps pick them up, the man uses sign language to offer him an apple as a thank you.

He barely has time to take it in when a woman bumps into him accidentally on purpose before signing: ‘Sorry, my mistake.’

Later, the shock is clear on Muharrem’s face when a taxi driver welcomes him into the car with sign language.

In a final flourish, an electronic advertising board is set up to communicate with him, offering him heartwarming message: ‘Because a world without barriers is our dream as well.’

A friend finally points out one of the dozens of cameras set up around the area to reveal the stunt, moving Muharrem to tears.

The stunt, which took a month to prepare, was organised by mobile phone company Samsung to promote its call centre for the hearing impaired.

The video has been viewed more than three million times over just the last few days since being posted on YouTube.

I’m not gonna lie. I was absolutely in tears by the end of the video. To watch a whole neighborhood take classes, learning a whole new way to speak to others, was amazing. My heart is full of the goodness in others today – and I hope yours will be too.

Written by Katie McGuire. Follow Katie on Twitter @GOPKatie