This trio wants to make sign language popular

talking hands was born out of a study project and aims to reach a large audience with flipbooks, of all things. The idea came about because the sister of one of the founders has Down syndrome.

Jeanne-Marie Mohn does not want to speak in front of the camera on this day and disappears into the background. She has thrown the hood of her pink sweater over her head and eagerly grabs flipbook after flipbook. The inspiration for the start-up of her sister Laura Mohn and co-founder Maria Möller is just a little shy this afternoon.

Jeanne-Marie has Down syndrome. She doesn't always feel comfortable talking via video call, explains Laura Mohn, who is sitting with her co-founder in front of a colorful billboard in her parents' basement. They have a second office at Goethe University in Frankfurt, where they are part of the "Unibator" support program.

In October 2020, they founded talking hands, a start-up that aims to popularize sign language with the help of flipbooks to ensure better inclusion in the long term. In the process, one sign per book runs like a small film. The idea is that children and adults can learn to sign in this way. They have already sold around 10,000 of these flipbooks since December 2020, and 13,000 more are currently being printed.

Laura Mohn and Maria Möller are the founders of Talking Hands. (Photo: Talking Hands)

The inspiration for it all was Jeanne-Marie, the shy sister who finishes a few boxes for shipping during the video call, who sorts and works. When Laura Mohn was looking for a thesis for her degree in communication design, it occurred to her, thanks to her sister, that while there were flashcards and learning videos for learning sign languages, neither was ideal, not fun enough to really want to learn. "It just wasn't fun, or you were sitting in front of a screen the whole time," Laura Mohn says.

After a few weeks of research, she came up with flipbooks and had some prototypes produced and filmed children at a daycare center (Kita) using them so she could attach it to their work. "The feedback from the daycare management was very good and I was asked if I could do this for other daycares," Mohn recalls.

She subsequently won prizes for the idea, including the Future Award, and brought friend Maria Möller on board. Together they founded talking hands. Today, Möller is responsible for organization and planning, while Mohn concentrates primarily on design and Jeanne-Marie on packaging.

"Only when all children, whether with or without disabilities, can communicate with each other can we achieve inclusion."

Maria Möller, co-founder of Talking Hands.

They have currently converted 100 words into sign language as flipbooks, including mommy, daddy, help, toilet and other terms that toddlers count as part of their vocabulary. One-third of the books are sold to educational institutions such as daycare centers, one-third to medical institutions such as speech therapy practices, and one-third to private households. The books are available individually as well as in sets of 100 or 10. A flip book costs 3.50 euros, and there is a discount for large orders.

Particularly the interest in Kitas pleases the two foundresses, since so many children learn from the outset at least the bases of the sign language. "It's virtually the first foreign language the children learn," Möller says. In addition, studies show that by combining hearing and seeing or pointing, even children without disabilities learn the language faster, she adds. "Only when all children, whether with or without disabilities, can communicate with each other can we create inclusion," Möller says.

This is what the flipbooks look like that talking hands produces. (Photo: Talking Hands)

In the future, the two founders want to expand and pay special attention to inclusive collaboration. So they are considering bringing friends of Jeanne-Marie into the packaging team as well. "Jeanne-Marie, you'll be the boss when we get new employees," Mohn jokes with her sister. In the long term, the founders want to move out of their parents' basement and cooperate with a workshop for the disabled.

In addition to the flipbooks, they are currently planning an app for adults to learn sign language like a foreign language. They want to model this on other apps that work with guessing games to make learning a little more fun.

They are currently financing the development of the app and the printing of the second edition of the flipbooks out of their own pockets, but are already working on financing, for example through a loan or a financing round. If that works out, they could also imagine expanding to other countries in the long term. "But that's still a long way off," says Maria Möller. "Soon we'll have to pack 13,000 flipbooks first."


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