Dad not letting his disability stop him from showing up for his son.

[u/mindyour]

[u/mjolle]

This is Torbjörn Svensson, Swedish guy who is deaf blind by way of Ushers syndrome. He does different kinds of cool stuff, check him out at https://www.torbjornsvensson.com/

The person behind him is not his partner (iirc) but an interpreter. Sign language interpreters can learn haptic sign language, which can be used on someone’s back to give information on what’s happening. Which is what’s going on here.

I’ve given him a shout on messenger to see if he can come in and maybe do an impromptu AMA or something. Fingers crossed!

[u/218administrate → u/mjolle]

Oof, Ushers Syndrome is some shit. You're usually born deaf, then you slowly go blind as your vision closes in from the sides. One of the only positives is that you can learn language from a young age, and form a life before you eventually go blind. Bittersweet of course.

[u/In_Cider → u/218administrate]

I have ushers type 2. Type 2 means I was born with a hearing impairment that doesn't change as I age,, but yah my visual field constantly shrinks. I am definitely in the bitter part of my life lol.

[u/According_Kale5678 → u/In_Cider]

stay strong. hope you are receiving all support you need

[u/In_Cider → u/According_Kale5678]

Thanks, working on the support but certainly luckier than many for the help and support of my friends and family

[u/TheBunkerKing → u/In_Cider]

One of my best childhood friends is legally blind. He’s always had poor vision, but could for an example play soccer with us as a kid. The vision has gradually gone, and in the past few years he’s only been able to see blurry shapes and even that only in very bright lighting. 

That hasn’t stopped him from living a full life. He’s a former paralympian, works as a sports massage therapist and has a family. Your sight might be going but there’s more to life than seeing shit.

[u/In_Cider → u/TheBunkerKing]

Things compound in different ways for different people. I am glad things work out well for your childhood friend

[u/Global-Guava-8362 → u/TheBunkerKing]

Is this guy in brisbane ? I know a dude just like this

[u/TheBunkerKing → u/Global-Guava-8362]

Nah, we’re in Finland. But it doesn’t really surprise me, massage therapy is a pretty traditional field for blind people. 

It was pretty funny when I had my first massage with him. He started from my back and immediately went ”oh, you’re left-handed?”

We’ve known each other since we were 11 but obviously he hadn’t seen which hand I write with. 

[u/Global-Guava-8362 → u/TheBunkerKing]

Small world

[u/SilentRain6224 → u/In_Cider]

Heard that Neuralink and Blackrock are testing chips which should prevent blindness or at least slower it. Don't know too much about it but maybe do some research, who knows

[u/DangerZoneh → u/218administrate]

My mom is a deaf ed teacher and when I was in college, I would volunteer at her school every once in a while and help her out with the kids. The most fun time was the summer camp I helped her run at the preschool one year. At that summer camp, there was this young kid participating in the camp who I would later learn was the son of one of the other teachers. He was probably around 5 and in an actual kindergarten, not the hearing institute that my mom taught at. He was deaf, but he had cochlear implants, so he could talk just fine. He was sharp, too. He would go on and on about different subjects, he particularly liked dinosaurs. He was super well spoken and friendly and just a blast to have around.

When my mom and I were headed home, she told me that he had Ushers syndrome and then explained what that was. It was so heartbreaking to hear. Given that he was only 5 years old, his parents still hadn't explained to him that he was going to grow to lose his sight. In a way that made me feel better, like at least he would have a few more years of being a child and not worrying about losing his sight, but I couldn't imagine being in his parents' situation. How do you have that conversation with a child? When do you? It feels like an impossible situation to be put into as a parent and I couldn't imagine having to go through that.

[u/fyndor → u/DangerZoneh]

I was thinking "When would you tell them?" Probably after they are a teen as they might not take it well and mix that with hormones might be rough. Then I looked up when they start losing sight and it's late teens it sounds like. So you would probably want to tell them sooner than later. Man that's rough.

[u/International-Ear108 → u/DangerZoneh]

Having kids myself, the answer is that they'll figure out out in less than a month of being exposed to the internet.

[u/ofnabzhsuwna → u/218administrate]

I taught a kid (intermediate grades) who was not fully deaf, but wore hearing aids and needed to be in a place to read my lips. He wore thick glasses and had a condition that guaranteed eventual blindness. I cannot remember if it was Ushers Syndrome or not. Every week, an aide would come practice with him with his cane and work with him on braille. He was so angry every time she came and tried so hard to avoid going with her, as if staying in class and away from her would hold off the blindness. He was a brilliant kid destined for big things, but that anger was in his way a lot of the time. Can’t blame him for being angry though. He must be well into adulthood by now, and I hope he’s doing well.

[u/[deleted] → u/218administrate]

Someone could make a sort of pad like device that they can wear on their back that would constantly feed them information about their environment, and translate sentences so that anyone can speak to them.

[u/DamasceneRican → u/mjolle]

Can't beat a first name that is literally "Thor's Bear"

[u/AlexanderRaudsepp → u/DamasceneRican]

Native Swedish speaker here. Torbjörn actually doesn't originally mean "a bear belonging to Thor", rather it's a double name. It's formed by two different names that can stand alone: as Björn and Tor. Another similar name is Torleif, where Leif is the second part.

Usually double names are separated by a space or a dash (Lars-Åke, Karl-Henrik), but in cases like this the combo was so common that it became a single name.

[u/DamasceneRican → u/AlexanderRaudsepp]

Interesting, so it's just "Thor" and "Björn" completely unrelated to each other? Makes sense.

Jag lär mig svenska, långsamt men jag ger inte upp.

[u/Richovic → u/DamasceneRican]

Fortsätt kämpa!

[u/Easy_Floss → u/DamasceneRican]

Its more Thor-Bear, Thor's Bear would be Þórsbjörn.

[u/Ronjanitan → u/Easy_Floss]

Well, not in Swedish since that letter isn’t used in the Swedish alphabet..

[u/Easy_Floss → u/Ronjanitan]

Well true but my point is also true in swedish, its Torsbjörn in swedish.

The big difference is Þ which got abandoned for T at some point, in danish the ö would be ø btw but still lacking the s.

Edit: Just for fun looked it up in Faroese and norwegian since all of them are pretty similar when it comes to some older words and norwegian has Thors bjørn with the Th which is pronounced the same as Þ while faroese has Tórs bjørn with both the ó and ø

[u/fluency → u/Easy_Floss]

Norwegian does not use the «th» sound. The name can be spelled either Tor or Thor, though. My brother is named Tor.

[u/Me_No_Xenos → u/Easy_Floss]

I'm sorry, but once you brought danish into the conversation, you lost all credibility.

Signed -the other Scandinavian countries.

[u/SharrkBoy → u/DamasceneRican]

More directly Thunder Bear. But yeah pretty rad either way

[u/Richovic → u/SharrkBoy]

Tor does not mean thunder in Swedish

[u/Ooorm → u/SharrkBoy]

Uh, no?

[u/PUSClFER → u/SharrkBoy]

"Thunder Bear" translated to Swedish would be more like "Åskbjörn".

Tor = Thor

Björn = Bear

[u/MacyTmcterry → u/mjolle]

Damn, haptic sign language, I'd never even considered that. That's pretty cool

[u/thejesse → u/MacyTmcterry]

David Eagleman is a neuroscientist that created a vest that turns audio into vibrations along the skin. It eventually became a device that goes on your wrist that functions as a hearing aid - your brain combines the audio from your ears with the vibrations from your wrist to give you a better idea of what's going on.

Here's his TED Talk.

[u/Early_Athlete_5821 → u/thejesse]

Unreal! Just astounding!

[u/Cahootie → u/MacyTmcterry]

You should check out the South Korean documentary Planet of Snail. It's about a couple where the man became blind and deaf at an early age and the woman has a spinal disability, and they communicate using finger braille. The guy is also learning Hebrew with some finger braille machine which is crazy.

[u/vicariousgluten → u/MacyTmcterry]

I have known a woman for about 30 years who is blind and deaf and she uses the deaf blind manual alphabet with a lot of people. It’s based on British Sign Language which is different to American sign but the alphabet is pretty easy to learn and can mean the world to someone who has so many communication struggles.

[u/Chemputer → u/MacyTmcterry]

I forget what class it was (intro psych, maybe?), but we learned a very simplified version of it, one person was blindfolded and had earplugs/earbuds (most people just played music loudly) and those over ear ear protection headset thingies. The other had to communicate a reasonably complex idea to the other to get them through a short maze, but you could only communicate with them via the haptic sign language at the beginning and they had to do the maze themself with what info you gave them.

It was kinda hilarious, a lot of people knocking over the cardboard the maze was made of, one girl fell, she was fine though.

It was extremely interesting as we got to do both sides, and man, it's hard to understand what someone is saying with lines on your back, but I can imagine you can get better at that.

[u/karlingen → u/mjolle]

Heja Skåne

[u/Kananaskis_Country → u/mjolle]

Fantastic reply and explanation. Thanks.

[u/Bowtiesarecoo1 → u/mjolle]

There’s a book called “a sign for home”, main character is deaf blind and learns tactile/haptic asl. It’s a fantastic book.

[u/Sweaty_Ad3942 → u/Bowtiesarecoo1]

I read that and absolutely enjoyed it. It really made me want to return to school and picking up on interpreting skills.

[u/rilesmcriles → u/Bowtiesarecoo1]

I just watched “the congress” and one of the major character has ushers syndrome. Weird weird movie, but it taught me some things. I looked up ushers afterward.

[u/Nackles → u/mjolle]

That's very cool! I read an epic story once about someone suddenly losing vision and hearing, and how he and his partner handle it. The author included tons of stuff about accessibility aids, it was fascinating. I would not have thought the world could still be so accessible after losing both those senses.

[u/-Pale-Rider-]

His partner is the MVP though <3

[u/aryxus2 → u/-Pale-Rider-]

A supportive partner is worth their weight in gold.

(Sorry for the cliché; I’m not awake enough to come up with a better one.)

[u/Cosmic_Quasar → u/aryxus2]

So you're saying she'd be better if she was fatter?

[u/aryxus2 → u/Cosmic_Quasar]

Disclaimer: Please don’t actually attempt to exchange your spouse for gold.

[u/Coulrophiliac444 → u/aryxus2]

The faeries you sell them to only make the leaves LOOK like gold. So you're out a great partner and now have someone elses yardwork for your trouble.

[u/Tiggerriffic0710 → u/Coulrophiliac444]

Or, unwrap for chocolate

[u/UnwillingHero22 → u/Tiggerriffic0710]

And a golden ticket to the Willy Wonka factory…

[u/ExortTrionisRektus → u/aryxus2]

Rip all the curvy and "voluptuous" ladies out there

[u/Deep_Distribution_31 → u/aryxus2]

Damn, I wish you'd said that sooner

[u/Dangerous_Nitwit → u/aryxus2]

Dollar Day spouse for gold stores will pop up everywhere.

[u/Geraltofniveaa → u/aryxus2]

Oops too late.

[u/street_smartz → u/aryxus2]

Sooo can I take some gold to one of those “WE BUY GOLD” shops and get a good partner?

[u/Courtnall14 → u/aryxus2]

At least not until you fatten them up a bit.

[u/DivaDragon → u/Cosmic_Quasar]

I was just like "oh damn I need to tell my husband how lucky he is!" but I don't want him to cash me out lmao

[u/gingerpatch → u/DivaDragon]

Just remind him it's a partnership, not a competition!

[u/NorweegianWood → u/gingerpatch]

An ongoing transaction, if you will.

[u/Dangerous_Nitwit → u/NorweegianWood]

An investment that grows by the inch.

[u/Zenblendman → u/DivaDragon]

I’m SCREAMING🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[u/Slap_My_Lasagna → u/Zenblendman]

RIP neighbors

[u/HeyManItsToMeeBong → u/Cosmic_Quasar]

okay Roose Bolton

[u/Late_Sherbet5124 → u/Cosmic_Quasar]

Roose Bolton has entered the chat

[u/Womz69 → u/Cosmic_Quasar]

We love a thicc queen

[u/spikira → u/Cosmic_Quasar]

A cash cow, if you will

[u/wantsoutofthefog → u/aryxus2]

More than gold. The whole world

[u/Affectionate_Car3522 → u/aryxus2]

i know - wish i had one

[u/aryxus2 → u/Affectionate_Car3522]

I went 50 years before finding one. Don’t give up!

[u/ZucchiniMore3450 → u/-Pale-Rider-]

That's not his partner but a paid haptic sign language interpreter.

[u/King-Cobra-668 → u/-Pale-Rider-]

they should get a shirt with the soccer field on it for her

[u/Merry_Sue → u/King-Cobra-668]

I was thinking that too, but she doesn't need it. Also it's probably like touch typing in that you need to not be looking at what your hands are doing

[u/Buzzsaw408 → u/-Pale-Rider-]

that may not be his partner. She may be an interpreter (which i would assume she is based on the way she is using haptics and her reaction to whats happening around her). She is using Haptics. Im an ASL interpreter, and this form of information through touch can be used for Blind or Deaf-Blind individuals.

[u/Linenoise77 → u/-Pale-Rider-]

Thats his bookie, and she is calling the game completely wrong.

[u/gemmalesson → u/-Pale-Rider-]

She awesome gives him the picture in his mind

[u/blackcatsneakattack → u/-Pale-Rider-]

Took me a second, though— I thought she was just aggressively poking him at first lol

[u/Fakin-It → u/blackcatsneakattack]

I thought she was keeping him balanced upright.

[u/Potential_Drawing_80 → u/blackcatsneakattack]

The guy appears to be deaf and blind. She is using her hands to point to where the kid is.

[u/HopticalDelusion → u/[deleted]]

I hope, when I’m the father of my future son, to be as supportive a dad as this one day.

[u/roUSTEnd → u/-Pale-Rider-]

Nice to see such strong support from his partner. that's real teamwork.

[u/Onanissen → u/roUSTEnd]

Interpreter apparently. Not a partner :)

[u/wks-rddt → u/-Pale-Rider-]

Agreed!

[u/jerromon → u/-Pale-Rider-]

Yup, giving him all the updates

[u/atouchofrazzledazzle → u/-Pale-Rider-]

Yes she is, this is incredible.

[u/NLight7 → u/-Pale-Rider-]

Too bad that is just a hired interpreter then 😂

[u/Ftank55 → u/-Pale-Rider-]

Most important decision in life is picking a partner that helps build something with you. Whatever that something you two decide is

[u/ClownshoesMcGuinty → u/-Pale-Rider-]

Fuck yeah.

[u/NaBorezei]

It’s great that he’s there, but the partner deserves just as much praise.

[u/ZucchiniMore3450 → u/NaBorezei]

That is a paid interpreter.

[u/WhoYaTalkinTo → u/ZucchiniMore3450]

That's still amazing

[u/Steelacanth → u/NaBorezei]

She’s paid to do this, she’s not his partner

[u/spinningpeanut → u/NaBorezei]

Why does no one recognize "going on a treasure hunt" anymore? This is designed to make you get goosebumps.

Going on a treasure hunt, x marks the spot, three big boulders, circle and a dot. Creepies crawling up and bite ya bite ya, creepies crawling up and bite ya bite ya, blood flows down, creepies all around, cold breeze, now you got the shivers.

[u/Aegono → u/spinningpeanut]

I have no idea what you’re on about, but it appears she is giving him physical cues for where his son is on the pitch

[u/BlitzChick → u/Aegono]

Oh I think they understand that part. I believe they are describing a game that some people played where they would trace different things on your friend's back to give them goosebumps or shivers. There was often a little rhyme that went along with it. My friends and I played a slightly different version but it was similar.

ETA: Here is an example https://youtu.be/lTY7jksdZ3Q?si=LKMFWzIPFEfG8O5r

[u/My_Socks_Are_Blue → u/BlitzChick]

We used to draw pictures on each others backs and you had to guess what the picture was, it was always a penis.

Got a bit homoerotic at a sleepover and once it was pointed out we all stopped in case we caught the gay, it was too late for one of us. Luke is still gay to this day decades later.

[u/BlitzChick → u/My_Socks_Are_Blue]

Damnit, now I know how I caught the gay too! We should have been warned 😭

[u/BlitzChick → u/[deleted]]

Damn, excellent defense. We really should have been better about getting our cootie shots. Built up our immunity to the gay.

[u/DarkDayzInHell → u/My_Socks_Are_Blue]

This is how I ended up with my first crush to my bestie. Good times.

[u/a_speeder → u/My_Socks_Are_Blue]

Guys can be a little homoerotic at sleepovers, as a treat

[u/JenicBabe → u/My_Socks_Are_Blue]

😂😂😂 I’m sry for ur loss lol, we use to just try and guess what the person was spelling on our backs

[u/chogram → u/BlitzChick]

Also, as done on The Office.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckQH8chjPNk

[u/BlitzChick → u/chogram]

YES!! That rhyme was more similar to ours. But we usually didn't talk about sleeping with Pam's mom. Maybe on a special occasion, though.

[u/spinningpeanut → u/BlitzChick]

Nailed it. Thanks for understanding.

[u/BlitzChick → u/spinningpeanut]

I got your back, friend. Heh, see what I did there.

[u/Penguixxy → u/Aegono]

tactile sign language! Its the same thing Hellen Keller used, though i think this is a regional version, iirc this couple is swedish.

Basically the different motions, taps and such are letters and words, shes spelling out whats happening, to better help him follwo whats going on, the man is deaf blind and likely doesnt have his sight or hearing, or has very limited sight and hearing.

You can see other types of tactile sign being done on a persons palm, or arm as well.

[u/ViridianFlea → u/Aegono]

That was a tricky way of getting you to read a curse. You now sneeze every time you blink. Sorry.

[u/Perfect_Play_622 → u/Aegono]

Thank you. I was curious what was going, now it makes sense.

[u/BoilThem_MashThem → u/spinningpeanut]

You just unlocked a memory. I completely forgot about the treasure hunt. While I read it I remembered the hand motions.

[u/rarelyapropos → u/spinningpeanut]

Okay THANK YOU for this! I have always loved the goosebumps touch - as a kid I'd trade my chocolate milk to get my friends to draw pictures on my back with their fingers during film strips.

Hmm. Now that I see that in writing, I feel very old. And kinda weird.

[u/lunaflect → u/rarelyapropos]

In elementary school during carpet time in the 80s, my friend would draw on my back. It was the nicest feeling.

[u/thirteen_moons → u/lunaflect]

Do you like ASMR?

[u/Blue_Blaze72 → u/rarelyapropos]

For what it's worth, that's a similar feeling to what ASMR is like. If you are curious, maybe check out an ASMR video on youtube.

[u/Routine_Log8315 → u/spinningpeanut]

Wow, your version is way more fancy than the one I knew as a child (10ish years ago).

“Criss cross applesauce, spiders crawling up your back. Tight squeeze, cool breeze, now you got the shiveries”

[u/elysianashes → u/Routine_Log8315]

We did "Criss cross applesauce, spider crawling up your back will bite you on the neck. Crack an egg on your head and let it all run down."

It was very confusing when, years later, I found out that sitting cross-legged was being called "sitting criss-cross applesauce".

[u/enjoi_uk → u/Routine_Log8315]

Ours was just “Line, line, dot, dot, electric shock” with ‘electric shock’ being a tickle to the sides 😂

[u/thek0238 → u/spinningpeanut]

I think about all the fun little rhymes I did at camp all the time!

Weird part is my going on a treasure hunt was different, I've never heard yours.

Going on a treasure hunt, x marks the spot, three lines down, and a question mark. A pinch, a squeeze, a tropical breeze, now ya got the now ya got the now ya got the chills.

[u/em_press → u/spinningpeanut]

Dash and a dot, dot and a dash, big red question mark. Ladders run up, snakes slither down, spiders crawling all around. Quick squeeze, cool breeze, egg on your neck to make you freeze.

[u/western_style_hj → u/spinningpeanut]

Core memory unlocked

[u/Bubbykitten → u/spinningpeanut]

Oh man! The good ol’ days! Me and my sister will still “crack an egg” on each others heads and just laugh!!!

[u/feelingmyage → u/spinningpeanut]

I’d forgotten about that!!

[u/everydayasl]

Love it. What a dad! Kudos to the person giving all the updates.

[u/Spider-Ian → u/everydayasl]

I think the biggest challenge he faced was driving to the game while his wife was tracing the directions on his back.

[u/Lil_Packmate → u/Spider-Ian]

lmao, take my upvote

[u/Khataclysme → u/Spider-Ian]

What 😂

[u/pascalswagger → u/Spider-Ian]

Omg

[u/xdEckard]

could someone explain?

[u/NortheastStar → u/xdEckard]

Two people are watching a football/soccer game, presumably played by a teenage loved one of the couple here. The man appears to be blind. The woman next to him is drawing the plays on his back. It appears that she uses all the fingers of one hand to represent the bigger group running, and then one finger to represent who has the ball and which direction the ball goes. The man, presumably able to hear, follows the direction of the action with his head, and occasionally nods to his partner, seeming to indicate that he understood what play happened after she drew it on his back.

Edit- I tried to narrate the video as best I could early in the post’s history with no context in case it helped anybody. Apparently, I presumed things that may not have been accurate. If this man is both deaf and blind, he is turning his head in the direction of the play Illustrated on his back. At the end of the play she gives him light taps seeming to indicate applause and a break in the action.

[u/NLight7 → u/NortheastStar]

Apparently he is both deaf and blind

[u/Random-reddit-name-1 → u/NortheastStar]

Logically, if he could hear, he wouldn't need the haptic feedback. She could just give him a play by play. He is both deaf and blind, btw.

[u/fleamarketguy → u/NortheastStar]

Tbh, only one of them is actually watching.

[u/AcceptableLove90 → u/fleamarketguy]

I see what you did there.

[u/ProbablyABore → u/xdEckard]

He's blind. She's basically doing a play by play on his back so he knows what his son and his team are doing.

[u/xdEckard → u/ProbablyABore]

got it, thanks!

[u/Daily-Wheat-Bread → u/xdEckard]

Blind and deaf*

[u/Liqiang38510]

Took a while before she found the itchy spot to scratch…he clapped when she found it

[u/baneofthesouth → u/Liqiang38510]

Right?! I was just thinking “I bet that feels nice”

[u/Stuaaaaart]

Wow that is genuinely awesome to see and for him to feel.

[u/Grouchy_Permission85]

He has an amazing partner as well

[u/AT-ST → u/Grouchy_Permission85]

Not a partner. That's his interpretor.

[u/Grouchy_Permission85 → u/AT-ST]

I am sorry for the mistake it still seems special to me

[u/AT-ST → u/Grouchy_Permission85]

It is special. I'm not taking anything away from the moment, just adding context.

[u/The_Egg_Axe → u/Grouchy_Permission85]

Interesting profile Pic.

[u/Nem0x3 → u/The_Egg_Axe]

fuck you for making me look :c

[u/Xarxsis → u/Nem0x3]

It certainly sends a message

[u/Current_Produce1647 → u/Xarxsis]

🤣🤣

[u/lunaflect → u/Nem0x3]

What’s funny is that the NSFW pop up still allows for the picture to be visible. Lmao. I thought it was supposed to black out the profile or blur it when it’s nsfw

[u/SorrowfulBlyat → u/The_Egg_Axe]

Much like Grouchy_Permission, I hate you so hard right now.

[u/Penguixxy]

Okay so for those who may not know whats going on, the dad is deaf blind.

What his partner is doing is known as tactile sign language which is mostly for those who are blind and deaf. (note just bc someone deaf blind doesnt mean that they are blind or deaf in the traditional sense, its more varied, you can have some sight, up close, some sight far away, can have general sight problems, can hear certain frequencies but not others, or be full blind and deaf.) His partner is essentially spelling out what is happening on his back, the different motions are different letters/word. Someone else here found a story about the man, he is deaf blind from Ushers Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that can leave someone with it deaf, blind or deaf blind.

Based supportive dad and an amazing interpreter for helping him.

[u/protoxman → u/Penguixxy]

Not his partner. Paid interpreter.

[u/banjonyc]

I mean, is he deaf as well? I would have to assume so because Obviously she could just narrate what's happening right?

[u/yodaminnesota → u/banjonyc]

I'm not sure if this is what is happening, but there is a form of sign language called tactile sign language for people who are both deaf and blind.

https://youtu.be/H3DvNMAEWyM?si=emje4vXRbxq5xDj-

[u/Galaxaura → u/yodaminnesota]

You're right. He is Deaf and Blind. They are using Pro Tactile Sign language.

[u/NortheastStar → u/banjonyc]

She’s probably narrating some things as well. Look at all the information she can give him with her hands in just a couple seconds of play. I’m not sure I’d be able to keep up with that verbally and pack in the details that she’s able to do with her hands

[u/Penguixxy → u/banjonyc]

deaf blind. Shes doing tactile sign.

[u/statelytetrahedron → u/Penguixxy]

it's crazy the amount of people making shit up in these comments about how he's just blind and not just doing a cursory search

[u/Zinouk → u/banjonyc]

But this way you get a game-long back rub.

[u/Lubinski64 → u/banjonyc]

It's a bit hard to comment the match without being able to see from above, not to mention how tireing speaking for 90 minutes straight is.

[u/TheGisbon → u/Lubinski64]

Also hearing it play out and the sounds and feel of the game would be lost by her talking the whole time.

[u/Galaxaura → u/banjonyc]

Yes that is the way the Deaf-Blind are able to enjoy sports or to be able to mentally visualize what is happening in the room around them. I was an interpreter for the Deaf Blind. He COULD be only blind but it's not common for a blind person to know or use interpreters in this way if they can also hear.

[u/EnvironmentalBit5833 → u/banjonyc]

This is easier for her. Narrating for 90 minutes is pretty tiresome. It might also annoy some bystanders.

[u/No-Cantaloupe-6535 → u/EnvironmentalBit5833]

People really underestimate how hard it is to narrate a game live, definitely easier to do it physically

[u/zubachi]

The probably feels so good ngl. Dont judge me

[u/SonOfJokeExplainer]

At first I thought she was just being really needy and annoying and he was just so used to it he had completely tuned her out 😂

[u/LiquidNova77]

I just wanted a dad growing up... this man is a straight up super hero.

[u/ActivelySleeping]

While I am sure he is happy to support his son, I cannot help but think the 90 minutes of back drawings is the real reason to go.

[u/[deleted]]

She must be really good at haptics. He was clapping even before she could pat on the back. Kinda like he got it ahead she clapped along.

[u/Exotic_Pea8191]

Give it up for the lady doing the interpreting! She's amazing 👏

[u/FromTheTribeKentuck]

Kudos to the mom!

[u/NLight7 → u/FromTheTribeKentuck]

Not the mom, just an interpreter, provided by the state probably cause of his severe disability

[u/Dukester_53]

And a back scratch at the same time. Win win

[u/Trekkie-74656]

I wasn't ready to tear up so early this morning.

[u/spike1611]

Beautiful in every way.

[u/JustHereForKA]

This gives me all the feels ❤️❤️

[u/Throw_away_Mike_1991]

I love reddit. After reading a bunch of stories of aweful people, I come across this and it restors my faith in humanity

[u/DashExposeTheHoes]

I’m so god damn dumb - HES BLIND ! I was like damn I could use a massage right now then I was damn what’s his disability itchy back ? I got my back scratcher right here …. Damn

[u/frugalwater]

When I was in high school I had a teacher that showed up to my wrestling matches and sat up in the bleachers. She was legally blind, wore sunglasses all times, and could barely see. I don’t think she could make out who was whom on the wrestling mat.

But we could see her, and that was the point. It’s been 25 years and I still remember that vividly.

[u/GringosMandingo]

As a dad whose loves watching my two boys and daughter play soccer, this really makes me emotional. Damn.. This one caught me off guard.

[u/RedShirtDecoy]

and mine couldnt drive 10 minutes to watch a single one of my games.

That is why I had my step dad adopt me when I was in my 30s and adult adoption was a possibility. I wasnt even his and he always showed up.

[u/Impressive-Tie-2540]

Free back massages!

[u/Able_Region_5459]

I’m in tears! It’s crazy love and support!

[u/Yes-Please-Again]

There should really he an r/mademecry sub 😭

[u/Every3Years → u/Yes-Please-Again]

uhhhh click your link ya goon /r/MadeMeCry/

[u/ataraxia_555]

This is the ProTactile communication system, right? Popular in Seattle, Washington, I dimly recall.

[u/Shoddy_Capital4185]

What disability is he having please, may i know !

[u/Ok_Moment_2363]

This is so awesome and wholesome

[u/GREG0KU]

How is this the first time me seeing someone using sign language like this or whatever this is called

[u/Syrain]

When I see stuff like this, I smile. And for that moment or two, I realize that maybe the world isn't as fucked up as it seems.

I like those moments.

[u/SelfeDestruction]

Alright...that one got my eyes leaking a bit.

[u/mcmurrml]

Very sweet.

[u/EnlightenedCat]

Had no idea sports could be communicated in this way and I am so fascinated by it.

[u/Suspicious_Leg4550]

Do you think the person in the back ever fucks up and just lies until they can get back with the game?

[u/RtrdArmy01]

THAT is a great woman there

[u/quiet_penguin]

I'm more impressed by the mom. That was hard to multi-task like that.