Dear Signing Time Friends,
Our family sincerely thanks you for what you have done for us. Your DVDs, board books, and flashcards have been such a blessing in our lives. For six years we tried to adopt from overseas. During that time, we lost three children we were supposed to bring home and were on a major emotional roller coaster. We already have five biological children. When people ask us why we wanted to adopt, the answer is simple. There are so many children who need a home and love and want to give back, but do not have a chance unless someone steps up and says, “I will take you just as you are.” Last spring after losing a biological baby and a referral for a little boy, we were asked to take in a deaf child from China. We immediately said yes, knowing we could handle anything God was going to give us if we relied on Him and not just our own strength. People thought we were crazy and did not know what we were getting into. I knew it was going to be OK, but definitely expected some hard times. This past February we brought home Matthew Grant. He is four years old and profoundly deaf. He had been in the orphanage since he was six months old and had no communication skills. I looked into sign language courses, but they cost more than our budget would allow, as we were still paying off the $55,000 we had spent during our 6-year adoption journey. A friend of a friend suggested Signing Time videos to us because she used them with her two adopted boys who are deaf. Seeing the reasonable price, I was sold! Our family uses the materials each and every day and I am so happy to say that Matthew now understands that we are communicating with him! It took about four weeks for the light bulb to go off, and now I cannot get ahead of him. I have an app on my phone that doesn’t even have all he asks about. We are so delighted to have added him as our sixth child and our family loves sign language. His teacher was real impressed with the Signing Time materials. She recommended that we continue using them. We are so blessed to have found your web site. Thank you so much for all your hard work to make a difference to children and their families. Number seven is due any time and you can bet she will be a signing baby, too!!!
Sincerely,
Tanya
Fredericksburg, Virginia
What an inspirational story and a wonderful family!
Tanya,
What an amazing story of love! Congratualations on your newest member of the family and for finding Signing Time. God is amazing how He works everything out! Matthew is a cutie and I am sure he will continue to thrive in your loving family enviroment. :O))
It’s fantastic that you’re using the videos and introducing Matthew to ASL that way. I hope now that he’s on his way, he can to start socializing with other kids his age through immersion in ASL, as full-time as possible. Most programs offer subsidies to ensure they can reach ALL deaf kids!