6-year-old deaf girl wanted to go trick-or-treating for the first time — so the whole neighborhood learned sign language

Halloween is a time to dress up in costumes, knock on neighbors’ doors, and fill buckets with candy. It is a tradition filled with excitement. However, six-year-old Ada has never been able to experience that joy as her peers have. Being deaf, Ada has often faced communication barriers that made trick-or-treating feel overwhelming. Although she is fluent in British Sign Language, her parents say that she finds lip-reading difficult, making the usual Halloween greetings at the door a disconnect. Her mother, Tilly, worried about how isolating the experience could be, as reported by Inside Edition.

She said, "People open doors and they speak, and she won't understand any of that. And it can be stressful, and she's left out, so we've avoided it basically. We haven't wanted to put her in a position that we know would be stressful and isolating." In 2024, though, everything changed. Ada’s neighbors in Worcestershire came together to learn basic British Sign Language so she could go trick-or-treating for the very first time.

With support from Cadbury Fingers and the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS), people from Ada’s street in Worcestershire came together to learn British Sign Language and launched the UK's first "BSL street," as reported by ITV News. They wanted Ada to enjoy her first-ever trick-or-treating experience like any other child. Neighbors learned to sign simple phrases like "Happy Halloween" and "Trick or Treat." Some even placed "We're BSL friendly" signs outside their homes to show they were ready to welcome children of all hearing abilities. Tilly took the lead by teaching a few neighbors herself, ensuring Ada would feel comfortable approaching their doors.

"The fact that our street now knows a little BSL means we’re really looking forward to taking her out trick-or-treating for the first time. Having her neighbours communicate with her in BSL is going to be so exciting," Tilly said. When Halloween night arrived, Ada signed "trick or treat" with ease. One by one, neighbors opened their doors with smiles and hands ready to sign back. Susan Daniels, Chief Executive of the National Deaf Children’s Society, said the goal was to help more people become deaf aware, per the outlet. "We want to see a more inclusive world so that every deaf child can be part of the conversation," she added.

The story garnered a lot of attention and was even shared on Reddit by u/copitamenstrual, where it got over 22k upvotes. Many people expressed warmth and encouragement for such a heartfelt initiative. u/Dangerous-Replies wrote, "This is the good in the world that I needed to see tonight." u/Particular_Concert_5 noted, "I love that the first neighbor that gave her candy was Santa." u/Edolin89 commented, "This is the sweetest thing ever. Really. I genuinely love this. My mum has been almost completely deaf since I was born. This is just so heartwarming."

u/Pervasiveartist suggested, "This is amazing! Sign language should be taught in public schools from K to 12 for many reasons and making kids happy and feel included like this is definitely a big one." u/Substantial_Escape92 wrote, "Kids deserve inclusivity as well as everyone else! Bless that street for taking an interest in their neighbors! I don’t even know my neighbors' names."