Deaf persons are largely marginalised and this limits the social participation and integration of deaf persons in society.
To help change this, Samsung has launched a new video call center for the hearing impaired. It introduced this with ad called "Hearing Hands". And the 2 minute and 43 second ad is fast becoming an internet sensation.
Read: 7 benefits of sign language
The commercial took one month prepare and Samsung Türkiye and advertising agency Leo Burnett Istanbul done a pretty nifty job when they set out to surprise Muharrem Yazgan, a young Istanbul resident, who has hearing loss.
This simple idea turned out to be just so beautiful. Watch it now:
This is how the ad unfolds
Yazgan and his sister, who is in on the stunt, leave their home on the morning of December 28 2014 when they encounter five strangers who communicate with them using sign language.
In one incident, a man drops a bag of apples and when Yazgan and his sister help pick them up, the stranger says in sign language that he wants to offer Yazgan an apple. He then asks his sister if she knows the stranger and if he is hearing impaired.
Read: Hearing impaired people read body language faster
In another twist, when the siblings get a cab, the driver signs salutations before taking them to a public square for Samsung's big reveal. Here, a digital kiosk displaying a signing Samsung rep for the Samsungduyaneller.com video call center, explains to Yazgan the stunt that had just been pulled off.
He is then surround by several people who have been trained to use sign language. The reactions are priceless!
Learn more about of hearing loss
Hearing loss is normally divided into two categories: conductive hearing loss and sensorineural hearing loss. One can also have a mixed hearing loss, which is a combination of the two.
People who cannot hear are usually described as being “hearing impaired”. This term includes different types of hearing loss, regardless of the nature, cause and extent.
Here is a closer look at the different terms and descriptions:
Deafness: a word describing a person who cannot use his hearing.
Hard of hearing: a person whose hearing is not within normal limits, but who can use the residue of his hearing (especially aided by hearing aids) to hear speech.
Deaf and dumb: a term used in the past. Nowadays it is inappropriate because all people with a hearing loss can be taught to communicate.
Also read:
Can deaf people 'hear' voices?
Misophonia: when sounds drive you crazy