A 15-year-old girl uses sign language to help a deaf-and-blind man take a plane to Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. – The knowledge of a 15-year-old girl on American sign language has made the cross-country flight from Boston to Portland much more enjoyable this week.

Jane Daly and her 15-year-old daughter Clara had to travel from Boston to Los Angeles, but their original flight was canceled. Instead, they were redirected with a connection to Portland.

Their change of itinerary was the stroke of luck of another man.

Tim Cook is deafblind and was on the same flight as the Dalys.

On board, the flight attendants needed help communicating with Cook. So, they called the intercom and asked if anyone in the plane knew sign language.

"I pressed the call button," said Clara. "And then she came and she said," So we have a passenger in the plane who is blind and deaf, so do you know how to spell the fingers? "And I thought," Yes, I totally know how to spell the fingers "

Clara answered the call and came to Cook's help. She has been studying American Sign Language for a year.

In an interview after the flight, Cook said, "The communication with Clara was good … I went from bad mood to good mood very quickly."

Clara's act of kindness becomes viral after another passenger posted a photo of her signature with Cook on Facebook.

Cook said that he hopes others could be inspired to learn more about deafblind people.

"I encourage them to be comfortable, because a lot of people are not comfortable," he said.

Clara said the reaction on social media is extremely beautiful. She hopes others realize that it is our job to help each other, no matter what happens.