An Uber driver's sign telling passengers about his disability went massively viral and sparked a

• London-based model Milkie, 20, rode in an Uber with a deaf driver named Onur Kerey.
• On Twitter, Milkie shared a photo of a sign that Kerey put up inside the car telling passengers about his disability.
• Kerey explained that he put up the sign to help passengers understand how to communicate with him.
• Milkie's tweet of his sign went viral and sparked important discussions about disability in society.
• Kerey told Insider about some of the difficulties he's encountered as a deaf person and why he thinks everyone should learn sign language.

Most people don't call an Uber expecting anything more than a ride from one place to another. However, one 20-year-old model had a particularly memorable experience when she rode in an Uber with a deaf driver named Onur Kerey. The viral tweet she posted about her experience riding with Kerey paved the way for an important and necessary discussion about disability in society.

A Northern Irish model based in London, Rachel Hastings — who goes by the name Milkie — told INSIDER that she had called an Uber on the night of April 17 with her flatmate and two friends on their way to a club. She sat in the middle seat in the back of the car, and that's when she noticed a sign slung across the front seat. 

Struck by the sign, Milkie took a photo of it and posted it on Twitter under the username @Iilghostgirl:

"Once we had settled in the backseat, we saw the sign and read it and I just loved his comment about the bass-heavy music," Milkie told INSIDER. "I thought that was great. I had never seen a sign like this, both in that it pointed out the driver's disability but also in that it was humorous and full of personality, which is why I loved it so much."

She and her friends went on to have an enjoyable experience riding in Kerey's Uber, even playing some bass-heavy music that Kerey's sign said he enjoyed.

Kerey, 24, told INSIDER he was born "profoundly deaf." He said that he has experienced some obstacles as a deaf Uber driver.

"I really enjoy working at Uber, but I do find it a bit difficult sometimes," Kerey told us. "I can't speak, which is hard for me to communicate with hearing people. I always use my phone so people can read what I mean and reply."

Kerey put up the sign in his Uber to help him communicate with his passengers, and to make sure that they understand him. "Most of the time, people smile and understand my sign and do a thumbs up," Kerey said. "A few of them signed 'thanks' to me when the trip ended, and it made me pleased to see them try to sign for me."

Milkie said that, at the end of her ride in Kerey's Uber, she wished she could have signed "thank you and have a great night" to him.

Much to her surprise, Milkie's photo of Kerey's sign went viral on Twitter. At the time of this post, her tweet has received over 549,000 likes and 136,000 retweets.

"I did not expect it to go viral at all," Milkie said. "I wanted to share the joy that reading his sign brought me, because it truly brought a smile to my face and set a great tone for the night."

Out of the hundreds of comments her tweet received, many people were supportive of Kerey and found the sign — particularly the request for music — just as heartwarming as Milkie did.

While some people were critical of Kerey driving, believing his deafness would be an impediment to the job, many others pointed out that deafness has no effect on someone's driving ability.

Someone from Kerey's family even came across the tweet.

"This made our day!!" Levze Kerey tweeted. "Thanks for all the comments, our whole family has been having a great time scrolling through."

However, Milkie's viral tweet also came under criticism.

Her tweet, which was frequently shared by other people on social media as an example of something "pure" and "wholesome," attracted the attention of the disability activist community. The Facebook page An Articulate Autistic pointed out a potentially problematic implication of Milkie's well-intentioned tweet. 

According to An Articulate Autistic, this tweet could be interpreted as an example of inspiration porn.

"Essentially what you're all doing is cheering his ability to achieve victory over his ability to...drive a car," the disability activist Facebook page explained. "The picture is turning his method of communication into a spectacle to be oohed and ahhed at, when I'm pretty sure that he felt like he was just doing his job not desiring an internet applause."

The Facebook page criticized the way that many people responded to the tweet with comments such as "Awwwww my gosh id cry if we got an uber driver like this" or "LOOK AT HOW PURE IM CRYING."

"He's not a puppy doing a cool trick," the page wrote. "He's a human that learned to accomplish a basic task. We need you to support us like equal human beings, not turn us into memes and feel so happy when we learn to exist the same way as you do."

In the comment section of this Facebook post, Milkie herself clarified:

"I was absolutely not focusing the 'purity' towards the fact that he is deaf and driving and giving him a pat on the back for doing so. It was much more towards the music comment and all the smiley's and emoji's because that showed a friendliness and sense of humour that I rarely see in Uber drivers in London!"

Milkie is happy that the tweet has ignited these important discussions about the way that people with disabilities are treated in society.

"I'm so glad this has opened a dialogue about the stigma against disabled persons," Milkie told INSIDER. "It's very clear to see in the replies to the tweet that many people would not be happy about having a deaf driver, some thinking it would put them in danger. This is clearly just people lacking a bit of common sense, because you know ... lights and visual cues exist."

According to Milkie, society still has a lot of work to do when it comes to treating people with disabilities with equality and respect.

"Within society in general and the spaces in which we exist, it's clear that those with disabilities are not always greatly catered to," she said. Milkie pointed out a few examples, such as Victoria Station in London. She observed that even though it's one of the busiest train stations in London, there is "no way to access the tube station from the train station without stairs."

Milkie also commented that people with disabilities might find it difficult to attend gigs. While larger event venues have viewing platforms or designated wheelchair spots, she noticed that some of the smaller venues simply don't have those facilities.

"I definitely think there are steps to be taken in order to make the spaces in which we exist and occupy more welcoming to those with disabilities," she concluded.

One of those steps, according to Kerey, is learning sign language. "My family can sign, which is easy for me to talk to them," he told INSIDER. "It is important for parents with a deaf baby to learn sign language."

Kerey thinks that everyone should learn sign language, not just those with deaf family members.

"I want to see schools teach sign language," Kerey said. "Instead of teaching French or German, because some people never go abroad, it's better to learn sign language and communicate with deaf people in their own country."

Since most people haven't learned sign language, Kerey finds some aspects of everyday life difficult. For example, he often has trouble communicating with people because they simply don't know how to talk to him.

"I feel like nobody knows how to react properly when they meet a deaf person," he said. "They might feel awkward, but they don't need to. They can still ask me a question and I will reply — they just need to write it down." 

Kerey also spoke about the need to find an interpreter whenever he visits the doctor or goes for an interview. "Sometimes it takes a long time to find an interpreter, and I have to cancel the appointments because no communicator is available," he said.

"Lots of places don't teach sign language," Kerey concluded. "But it is definitely important for deaf people to have sign language, and to feel proud."

Here's the full caption from An Articulate Austistic's Facebook post:

In a group this was being shared as "pure" and "wholesome" and it annoyed me to the point where I felt the need to make this comment explaining the issues with it. If you've seen the original, share this one because this kinda thing is everywhere.
[image is a picture of a sign where an Uber driver named Onur says he's deaf and provides methods of communicating with him with the caption THIS WAS THE PUREST THING WE LOVE ONUR]
"In the disability activist community we have a term for this stuff
It's what we all "inspiration porn".
Essentially what you're all doing is cheering his ability to achieve victory over his disability to...drive a car.
We adapt to exist that's not something that we deserve to be lauded for and it squicks me out.
It puts us in a position where learning to be like you deserves to be put on a pedestal and it separates us from you because we're all people who find our ways to survive and calling us pure and wholesome for doing so objectifies us (where the porn part comes from).
The picture is turning his method of communication into a spectacle to be oohed and ahhed at, when I'm pretty sure that he felt like he was just doing his job not desiring an internet applause.
Also the "this is so pure" "we love him" "I'm crying because of this"...Gods he's not a puppy doing a cool trick he's a human that learned to accomplish a basic task. We need you to support us like equal human beings not turn us into memes and feel so happy when we learn to exist the same way as you do...and treat us as equals deserving of the same respect as you do when we don't manage to be so "inspirational" by managing to exist like you do. 
I would encourage you all to read the transcript/watch this TED Talk because it goes over this
https://www.ted.com/talks/stella_young_i_m_not_your_inspiration_thank_you_very_much/transcript 

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