A Moment of Inclusion in Kuala Lumpur

This past Friday, I came back from a two-week trip to Malaysia and Istanbul with my best friend. The Malaysia part was for a personal development program we did together with another friend, where I explored a lot of my feelings and perspectives on living with an invisible physical disability (thank you forever SEEDS Mastery!) ✨

I have so many stories and photos to post eventually, but this one stood out.

Once my friend and I were finished shopping at Central Market in Kuala Lumpur, I ordered a Grab ride (their version of Uber) to pick us up, make a stop to pick up our third friend, and take us to our dinner plans. When I got the ride confirmation, I noticed it said our driver was deaf, and to communicate with him through the chat function.

For most of our interactions during the ride, we did use either the chat or gave each other a thumbs up. It didn’t feel like enough appreciation or inclusion to me, but I don’t know any sign language.

So mid-ride, I quickly Googled how to say “thank you” in sign language, figuring doing that at the end of the ride would be better than nothing.

Just before I got out of the car, I signed “thank you” to the driver, and he signed it back! And even though he was wearing a mask, I could tell from his eyes he was smiling. 🥹

I’ve always felt a kind of empathy and solidarity with other people living with disabilities. Even when they’re different from my own, we’re all living in a world that wasn’t built for us. We all appreciate moments of recognition or inclusion, whether they’re big or small.

And sometimes, a moment of inclusion is just a quick Google search away. ✨🫶🏽