Cynthia Walker had always felt embarrassed and self-conscious when ordering at a fast-food restaurant because she suffers from a condition called CHARGE syndrome which impairs her hearing and vision. Her mother reports that most cashiers simply stare at her, making her feel even more uncomfortable.
But during a recent visit to a local Chik-fil-A restaurant in Fayetteville, NC, Cynthia Walker received an unusual and most welcome surprise. A cashier by the name of Taylor, upon realizing that Cynthia was hearing impaired, immediately began speaking to her using sign language, much to Cynthia’s surprise and delight.
Her proud mother reports that this is the first time in her 22-year-old daughter’s life that she has been able to walk up to a fast food restaurant counter and order what she wanted completely without anybody else’s help.
Mrs. Walker captured the heartwarming interaction between cashier Taylor and daughter Cynthia and immediately posted the video on Facebook, applauding the Chik-fil-A worker’s sensitivity to her daughter’s disability. Her post has been shared by others more than 12,000 times and has received more than 60,000 likes.
Taylor reports that she learned sign language at an early age because of a family member’s deafness. No doubt that this Fayetteville Chik-fil-A operation will become one of the Walker family’s favorite dining places, with an upsurge in business expected from other customers who speak international sign language to communicate.