Signing Time – For Business View, with Brek Bolton, Fox 13 News Utah

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_5JcGvzoQk]
Transcript

Brek Bolton: Sometimes life’s obstacles can lead to opportunities. Meet Rachel and Leah Coleman. Their lives obstacles.

Rachel Coleman: My oldest daughter, Leah, was born profoundly deaf.

Brek Bolton: Communication became the challenge and a new language had to be learned.

Rachel Coleman: My husband, Aaron, and I started using American Sign Language with her and just saw her communication skills take off.

Brek Bolton: American Sign Language opened up Leah’s world but Rachel realized she needed to open that world to other kids.

Rachel Coleman: He says I don’t want to be with Leah because she can’t talk.

Brek Bolton: On the soccer field at age four Leah had a communication barrier with other kids.

Rachel Coleman: I had thought I wonder if there’s something that I could do and I called his preschool the next day.

Brek Bolton: Rachel went to the class and taught the children a few signs.  Next week on the field?

Rachel Coleman: He signs”friend”, “play”, “ball”.

Brek Bolton:  Teaming up with her husband and sister Emilie right here in Utah they began Signing Time an educational video series to teach Sign Language to all children.

Rachel Coleman: We just saw the benefits for all kids.

Brek Bolton:  It’s proven babies as early as eight months old can learn several signs before they even learn to speak a word. With Rachel and Leigh as the main characters Signing Time became a regular program on PBS, Nick jr., and on Netflix and this led to some impressive recognition.

Rachel Coleman: One of my employees called me and said Rachel you have been nominated for an Emmy; for a Daytime Emmy.

Brek Bolton:  Being recognized as a source for quality educational tools Signing Time continues to build with their office in Midvale, but the Coleman’s had to learn new skills.

Rachel Coleman: My husband Aaron started to just train and follow the editors.  Those are skills he learned simply because of this.

Brek Bolton:  In running a business there is one point of advice they offer.

Rachel Coleman: I’m like wait a minute here I got 25% and it’s my kid who deaf

Brek Bolton:  Be careful you give ownership to.

Rachel Coleman: If there’s a service that you can hire and fire right you do that.

Brek Bolton:  Another suggestion?

Rachel Coleman: We limit ourselves, we limit our children, we limit our families by the stuff we make up. If you’re going to make something up I say make up something awesome.

Brek Bolton:  Signing Time is awesome with over 2 million dollars a year in sales its influence for children and parents continues on. What about Leah?

Leah Coleman: My major right now is industrial design

Brek Bolton: Leah is going to college to learn to design products that can help those with disabilities while running her own business with a YouTube channel.

Leah Coleman: My mom and family built their own business I know I can do the same.

Brek Bolton: For Business View,  I’m Brek Bolton, Fox 13 News Utah

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