Rachel Coming to Oklahoma

Rachel Coleman will perform at the local Down Syndrome Association of Central Oklahoma (DSACO) Buddy Walk on September 20, 2008 from 11:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. at the AT&T Bricktown Ballpark, located at 2 South Mickey Mantel Drive in Oklahoma City.

I was able to speak to a couple people about their experience and excitement around Rachel’s visit and wanted to share with you two stories that touched me.

Excited to See Rachel!
by Randy and Shelly Curtis

We were introduced to Signing Time when our daughter Lilly, who has Down syndrome, was about 18 months old. We wanted a way to communicate with her about her basic wants and needs.

From the very beginning Lilly was completely engaged in the DVDs. We all started to sign with her and she picked it up crazy fast, especially in comparison to her rate of learning in other areas. She started signing ‘hungry’ and’ thirsty’ and’ cookie’ right away. We were amazed!

Lilly is seven years old now and her speech is great. We feel that Signing Time was and still is the best thing we ever found for her. We have all of the DVD’s and can’t wait to see Rachel!

At the Buddy Walk Lilly will be Rachel’s biggest fan. Any free time she has is devoted to Alex, Leah, and Hopkins! It is the first thing she does when she gets home from School.

Her sister, Audrey (11 years old) and brother, Jackson (three years old) also loves to sign with Lilly. They like to show off her sign language ability to anyone who will watch.

We recommend the series to everyone! Not just children with special needs. We are so excited about this great opportunity to share our story with everyone else.

Addison’s Story

The Klehm Family

Rebecca and Mike Klehm of Oklahoma City were told to expect that their youngest daughter Addison would have speech issues and delays. In March 2004, baby Addison was born with cleft issues and Down syndrome.

Knowing that Addison had two issues that would impact her speech and in turn affect her communication, the Klehms immediately enrolled in baby sign language classes. Inviting their family members to learn sign language to help Addison communicate, the Klehms started watching Signing Time, an energetic DVD series dedicated to teaching children of all abilities to communicate using American Sign Language (ASL).

With the help of Signing Time, Addison began using sign language to express her needs and wants. Therapists, family members and peers noticed a huge progression with her speech, as she used words along with corresponding signs.

At four years old, Addison still loves watching Rachel, Alex and Leah, and continues to learn new signs everyday. Though her parents admit that she might know more than they actually do, they are more than excited to have the ability to communicate with her and know what she needs and wants.

More About the Event

On September 20th, Addison will have the opportunity to meet one of her heroes, Rachel Coleman
Rachel will be performing during the local Down Syndrome Association of Central Oklahoma Buddy Walk at 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. at the AT&T Bricktown Ballpark on Saturday, September 20th.

Addison, Lilly and hundreds of families who have been touched by this program will have a chance to meet Rachel and tell (or sign) their stories and show off their sign language skills during the meet and greet prior to and after the performance.

We hope to see you all there!

Scroll to Top