The childhood of KODA children, who have been raised by deaf parents, has been stigmatized by people who have suggested that their parents' condition could negatively influence their lives.
Claire Koch, a five-year-old girl born to deaf parents, has shown them how wrong they are. In an adorable video which has gone viral, the girl thought her parents shouldn't have to miss out on her school's Christmas recital, and decided to sing to her proud parents in American Sign Language.
In the recital, Claire sang along with 60 other children, but while the other children sang with their voices and gesticulated with generic movements, the adorable girl surprised her parents by singing in American Sign Language (ASL).
The proud parents captured the enthusiasm and love of their daughter in a video they uploaded to YouTube later, and which has gathered thousands of views and comments from people touched by the family's love.
According to The Huffington Post, Lori Koch, the girl's mom, told Yahoo that she can read lips, but her husband can only understand ASL, so the beautiful gesture by her daughter has a special meaning for them, and they can't hide the pride and love they feel for Claire.
After the harsh criticism against the sign language interpreter for Nelson Mandela's funeral, who was accused by South Africa's Deaf People Federation of "inventing" all the signs and tricking everyone, Claire's video singing with the enthusiasm only a girl her age can have is an important reminder of how important it is to acknowledge the differences between people and accept that there is no disability that can't be beaten by love.
Watch the charming video here:
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