Today we’d like to introduce you to Erik Kiefer.
Hi Erik, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Visually Speaking started back In 2018 in Rochester, NY. The idea behind offering Sign Language education came from my passion for teaching (normally functioning & intellectually disabled individuals), business management, and my exposure to the Deaf community while I was growing up.
I grew up with a grandmother & aunt who were both Deaf, as well as a few family members who have 40+ years of professional ASL (American Sign Language) interpreting experience. When I was very young, I was taught how to sign, and through many experiences was able to learn about the culture. For years I was able to observe many exchanges between Deaf individuals, and It was immediately apparent that there are many misconceptions that hearing individuals have about the language and culture.
This triggered my interest in teaching others – Not just the sign material, but educating students & increasing awareness about the Deaf culture, norms, and other important aspects of the language. I wanted there to be a clear understanding that ASL is a culture, and that Deaf/hard of hearing individuals do NOT view their ‘deafness’ as a medical impairment – It is their identity.
Once I knew what needed to be included in the Visually Speaking course curriculum, I started developing the material with the help of individuals from the Deaf community. We all agreed right off the bat that this shouldn’t be a typical Sign Language education class. It was a goal of mine to develop an experience where every student could easily see that a lot of passion and enthusiasm went into the creation of the course. With everyone’s help and knowledge I was able to create a unique, individualized, and interactive course where every student walks away from each lesson saying ‘wow, it’s already been over an hour? Do we have to be done?’.
Today, Visually Speaking is located in Lake Wylie, SC, and we offer our education to the entire Charlotte, NC area. We have gotten to the point where we have worked with dozens of families, are partnered with some supportive local businesses, maintained relationships with a few high school co-op programs, and are still continuing to grow!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
For the most part, it has been a smooth road, but there have been some hurdles. It’s not necessarily a struggle now, but it was when we first began – Each student and family we work with has unique learning preferences and goals they would like to achieve by the end of the course. So we have to take some extra time prior to working out some finer details together and implementing a feasible plan. This isn’t a struggle now though because we don’t offer a ‘cookie cutter’ course. A lot of time was spent on developing an individualized, inclusive experience that any student can take part in and enjoy from start to finish.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
If you were to ask anyone who’s familiar with me, they would tell you I’m known for management/coordination and my passion for working with others. For the last nine years, along with my work in Visually Speaking, I’ve worked with intellectually disabled & normally functioning children and adults. I have been a Community Habilitation Specialist, an Employment Specialist, a Behavior Management Specialist, a Before and After School Program Director, a Staff Trainer, and a Teacher.
Each one of these roles I’ve had has involved working with others in some way. I would say I’m most proud of my ability to connect with and invest in others, especially when I’m in a capacity where I am overseeing a program, classroom, staff group, etc. I want each person on their staff team to do the best they can – Meet that high bar that I set. This means taking the time to equip them with the skills, resources and tools they may need. Basically, I want to set anyone I work with up for success. This definitely sets me apart from others who may just be working to only get their paycheck, nothing else besides that.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
During the majority of Covid-19, I was living in New York State – A state that was impacted the worst compared to the rest. As a Director/Teacher, I was able to see how isolation impacted the children we worked with in some terrible ways. We learned an important lesson that children, teenagers, and even adults need socialization. They need to be interacting with others in their respective communities in order to grow.
Pricing:
- $500 for two individuals to take the 20-lesson course together ($250 each)
- Prices vary for larger groups of 4 or more people. Discounted group rates are offered.
- We also offer the option to take advantage of a payment plan: Our 50-50 payment plan is our most popular choice – Students can pay 50% of the total cost at the start of the course, then they can pay the remainder when they are financially able. This makes taking our course a more feasible opportunity.
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