Emmy Award nominated series host now at RIT/NTID

Rachel Coleman, the Emmy Award nominated host and co-creator of “Signing Time!,” has joined Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf where she will continue her connection to parents of deaf and hard-of-hearing students as RIT/NTID’s Parent and Prospective Student Liaison.

Parents and their deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing children are familiar with Coleman, whose video series teaches basic American Sign Language vocabulary to families in an engaging and musical way. The series has been broadcast to millions of viewers through such platforms as PBS stations, Netflix, Nick Jr., and mysigningtime.com. In 2015, she launched mydeafchild.org, providing an innovative online American Sign Language curriculum, free of charge, to parents living within the United States, raising deaf children ages 35 months and under.

Coleman’s responsibilities at RIT/NTID will include attending conferences, events, and seminars where deaf and hard-of-hearing students and their families gather and participating in RIT/NTID webinars for parents and families of prospective students.

From 2018-2021 Coleman served as executive director for the American Society for Deaf Children where she increased the number of paid memberships, revenue, and funds spent on programs for ASDC families.

“Rachel understands the journey of parents with deaf children in a way few others can,” said Gerry Buckley, NTID president and RIT vice president and dean. “She will be a great asset to families looking further their children’s higher education journey, and we are thrilled to have her join the RIT/NTID team.”

Rachel, her husband, Aaron and their daughter Lucy reside in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. Their oldest child, Liam, is an RIT/NTID alumnus who lives in Rochester, New York, and also works at RIT/NTID.