Signing Time Foundation: Dissolving Barriers

Friends of the Signing Time series have come to know and love Rachel,
Alex and Leah by inviting them into their homes through the Signing Time
videos and songs. Many people have also come to know and adore
Leah's little sister, Lucy who was born with spina bifida and cerebral
palsy. By the time Lucy was about two years old, she was not talking or signing, despite growing up in a household where American Sign Language (ASL) was the primary language. Her doctors said she was mentally retarded and would never be able to speak, let alone use her rigid fingers to sign.

Lucy beat the odds when she began signing along with the first volume of Signing Time (back when there was only one volume!). Starting with the sign for "more," she developed a vocabulary of hundreds of signs, and speech soon followed. Lucy now attends a mainstream second grade class in public school. Lucy is considered the first of many "Signing Time Miracles." Her little smile and zest for life is the inspiration behind the Signing Time Foundation.

Lucy, like other little children, loves to be around her peers and likes to do what they do best: play! However, because of her special physical needs, she often faces barriers when it comes to something as simple as "play".

Lucy loves to swing, but when her family takes her to the park they noticed that most parks are not very fun for her. There are no swings that support a child who cannot balance on their own, or who cannot hold on with both hands. Maneuvering a child in a wheelchair over railroad ties and through the playground's wood chips or sand is very difficult – Lucy would never be able to approach the play area by herself. The Coleman's quickly realized that these and other "barriers" were in the way of Lucy's having fun at the park and playing with other children.

The mission of the Signing Time Foundation is to enrich the lives of children of all abilities through programs aimed at dissolving barriers, creating opportunities for all children to come together and play.

It is through the contributions of our fans, along with Two Little Hands Productions and other organizations that enable Signing Time to continue to be made available on public television stations.

The Signing Time Foundation is engaged in several projects, including the creation of "Miracle Gardens" – universally accessible playgrounds where children of all abilities – including those who use walkers and wheelchairs –can play.

In addition, the Signing Time Foundation has the opportunity to team up with Signs of Hope International, another non-profit organization that will help Signing Time travel to Ghana, West Africa to visit several deaf schools to further educational opportunities for students there. Read more about Signs of Hope International by visiting: http://signsofhopeinternational.org/.