Business owner in Klang communicates in sign language to help elderly customer with disabilities

KLANG - A heartwarming story of kindness and inclusivity recently captured the attention of Malaysians after a business owner in Klang, Selangor, communicated in sign language to assist an elderly customer with disabilities.

The story, which went viral on TikTok, revealed a touching reason behind the man’s visit—he was planning a surprise for his son.

Muhammad Faiz Safwan Affendi, 27, who owns Superior Garage and Superior Helmet in Taman Sri Andalas, Klang, noticed the elderly person with disabilities (PwD) visiting his shop regularly but not interacting much with the staff.

“The elderly PwD man had visited my shop several times, but at first, I wasn’t the one assisting him. I noticed my employees trying to communicate with him, but he remained silent,” Faiz said during an interview with a local radio station this morning.

When Faiz eventually approached him, he realised the man was using sign language.

Faiz, who knows some sign language from an old friend who is deaf and mute, understood it better than he could use it.

“By observing his gestures, I understood he was looking for motorcycle parts.

“It turned out he wanted to ‘make up’ his Yamaha Y-15 motorcycle as a surprise gift for his son," Faiz continued.

Faiz shared a video of their interaction on his TikTok account (@faiz_superior), but initially did not reveal the full story.

He hesitated to share the elderly man’s intentions, worried that his family might misunderstand.

However, after the man’s son commented on the post, Faiz decided to disclose the reason behind the visit.

@h4zqnuqman_, who identified himself as the man’s son, commented: “Thank you, I am his son (the elderly PwD). May all your affairs be eased.”

Faiz replied, “How is your father? He used to drop by often to look around, but it’s been a while since he last visited.”

The video quickly went viral, garnering over 2 million views and more than 233,000 likes at the time of writing. Many were moved by Faiz’s patience and willingness to communicate with the elderly man, despite his limited sign language skills.

Netizens also took the opportunity to discuss the importance of making sign language more accessible in Malaysia.

One user, @prvtel1fe, said: “Sign language is more useful than music lessons in primary school.”

Another user, @.xdwrd., suggested: “Petition to make sign language a compulsory subject in schools!”

Similarly, @corngung wrote: “Introduce a sign language syllabus in schools so that everyone can mingle together. It would be amazing for the whole country to be able to use sign language.”