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Disneyland lived up to its slogan «the Happiest Place on Earth» when Luca Foster, 3, who is hard of hearing, met Bo Peep at the theme park. His mom was shocked when the cast member began to speak with him in sign language.
«It brought me to tears,» wrote Luca’s mom, Callie Foster, in an Instagram post from August. «And every time I watch (the video), I cry all over again.»
The Los Angeles-based family met the Pixar characters when they visited Disneyland in Anaheim, California, last month. It was Luca’s first time visiting the park.
«I’d seen other characters signing with Deaf guests,» said his mom. «But when Bo Peep saw me signing with Luca and immediately started signing back, I was floored.»
Watch the magical Disneyland moment:
Inclusion, understanding and acceptance
Luca, dressed as Buzz Lightyear, waited in line to meet Woody and Bo Peep from Pixar’s «Toy Story,» and when his mom introduced him to the characters in American Sign Language, Bo Peep immediately caught on and began signing with the toddler.
«Leading up to @Disneyland, we kept telling Luca he was going to meet Buzz, Bo Peep, Jessie and Woody,» wrote his mom.
Luca told Woody and Bo Peep that he had just met their «friends,» Buzz Light Year and Jessie and then he took a picture with the two characters.
«The inclusion, the understanding, the acceptance— it’s everything I hoped for as a hearing parent when I had all those fears in the beginning,» wrote Callie in her post. «Moments like this remind me just how beautiful this journey is.»
‘Toy Story’-themed birthday
The Foster family just celebrated Luca’s birthday, who turned 3, over the weekend, according to a post on their Instagram account.
Of course, the party theme was «Toy Story.»
«We celebrated Luca’s 3rd birthday over the weekend with a little swim and cake Toy Story party,» stated the post. «It was just amazing!»
National Deaf Awareness Month
September is National Deaf Awareness Month, which was first celebrated in 1958 as International Day of the Deaf, and later became International Week of the Deaf, which begins September 20, according to the University of Washington.
Around 13% of the United States’ population is deaf or hard of hearing, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Between 2 to 3 out of every 1,000 children are born with noticeable hearing loss in one or both ears.
Around 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents, like Luca.
The month is dedicated to bringing awareness to the unique communication needs of people who identify as Deaf or hard of hearing and highlighting Deaf issues, people and culture, according to the university.
