[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