Making sign language fun and accessible

On Saturday, Sept. 20 the Bricktown Ballpark held an advocacy walk where people with Down syndrome could invite buddies to walk with them. Buddies could be anyone from family and friends to teachers or coworkers.

The event helped promote more awareness about Down syndrome and also about ASL, or American Sign Language.

The Buddy Walk invited Rachel Coleman, and Emmy-nominated host for Signing Time to perform.

She co-created Signing Time to teach children to communicate using ASL before they can speak. Coleman has also used the program with her daughters. One of her daughters is deaf and the other has cerebral palsy and spina bifida.

Coleman has seen what ASL can do for children of all different needs.

To learn more about Buddy Walk and this ASL program, visit the Down Syndrome Association of Central Oklahoma Web site and the Signing Time Web site.