A Swedish Prevalence Study of Deaf People Using Sign Language: A prerequisite for Deaf studies

Irish Sign Language (ISL), an indigenous language of Ireland, is recognized by the European Union as a natural language. It is a language separate from the other languages used in Ireland, including English, Irish, and, in Northern Ireland, British Sign Language. Some 5,000 Deaf people use ISL. Given the history of suppression of signed languages across what is now the European Union, the average Deaf person leaves school with a reading age of 8.5 to 9 years. It is no surprise, therefore, that Deaf people are the most under-represented of all disadvantaged groups at third level. This poses two challenges: (1) getting Deaf people into third level and (2) presenting education in an accessible form. In the authors‘ work, they address directly these challenges in an Irish context, and this chapter reports on this work. In Ireland, two Dublin based institutions, Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and the Institute for Technology Blanchardstown, Dublin (ITB) have partnered to create a unique elearning environment based on MOODLE as the learning management system, in the delivery of Deaf Studies programmes at TCD. This partnership delivers third level programmes to students in a way that resolves problems of time, geography and access, maximizing multi-functional uses of digital assets across our programmes. Students can take courseware synchronously and asynchronously. The authors have built a considerable digital asset and have created a re-architected framework to avail of current best practice in rich digital media over Moodle with learning objects for ISL. Their digital assets include a corpus of ISL, the ‘Signs of Ireland Corpus’ which is one of the largest, most richly annotated in the world. They have operated online delivery since 2005, hosted by ITB. The hallmark of this project is the delivery of blended learning, maximizing ICT in the teaching and learning of ISL. It is important to note that there are currently no other universities delivering Deaf Studies programmes with this degree of online content internationally. Thus, this programme and its associated research is cutting edge innovation in its philosophy, its rich content and its utilization of rich media. Signed languages, by their nature, are visual-gestural languages, which (unlike spoken languages) do not have a written form. Given this, the online content is required to be multi-modal in nature and the authors utilize rich-media learning objects in their delivery. Within ITB and TCD, the authors have a number of doctoral level studies linked to this project. These focus, at one end of the continuum, on focusing on Deaf culture and is linked to the perspectives on Deaf Studies teaching modules, and at the opposite end of the continuum on describing, for ISL, the phonological-morphological interface in ISL ad which will enrich the digital corpus of ISL. These feed into the online programme.

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Online Delivery of Deaf Studies Curricula in Ireland at Third Level

Virtual Learning Environments ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-0011-9.ch409 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 786-802

Author(s):

Brian Nolan ◽

Lorraine Leeson

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Sign Language ◽

Learning Objects ◽

Deaf People ◽

The European Union ◽

Deaf Studies ◽

Online Delivery ◽

Rich Media ◽

Digital Assets ◽

The Continuum

Irish Sign Language (ISL), an indigenous language of Ireland, is recognized by the European Union as a natural language. It is a language separate from the other languages used in Ireland, including English, Irish, and, in Northern Ireland, British Sign Language. Some 5,000 Deaf people use ISL. Given the history of suppression of signed languages across what is now the European Union, the average Deaf person leaves school with a reading age of 8.5 to 9 years. It is no surprise, therefore, that Deaf people are the most under-represented of all disadvantaged groups at third level. This poses two challenges: (1) getting Deaf people into third level and (2) presenting education in an accessible form. In the authors’ work, they address directly these challenges in an Irish context, and this chapter reports on this work. In Ireland, two Dublin based institutions, Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and the Institute for Technology Blanchardstown, Dublin (ITB) have partnered to create a unique eLearning environment based on MOODLE as the learning management system, in the delivery of Deaf Studies programmes at TCD. This partnership delivers third level programmes to students in a way that resolves problems of time, geography and access, maximizing multi-functional uses of digital assets across our programmes. Students can take courseware synchronously and asynchronously. The authors have built a considerable digital asset and have created a re-architected framework to avail of current best practice in rich digital media over Moodle with learning objects for ISL. Their digital assets include a corpus of ISL, the ‘Signs of Ireland Corpus’ which is one of the largest, most richly annotated in the world. They have operated online delivery since 2005, hosted by ITB. The hallmark of this project is the delivery of blended learning, maximizing ICT in the teaching and learning of ISL. It is important to note that there are currently no other universities delivering Deaf Studies programmes with this degree of online content internationally. Thus, this programme and its associated research is cutting edge innovation in its philosophy, its rich content and its utilization of rich media. Signed languages, by their nature, are visual-gestural languages, which (unlike spoken languages) do not have a written form. Given this, the online content is required to be multi-modal in nature and the authors utilize rich-media learning objects in their delivery. Within ITB and TCD, the authors have a number of doctoral level studies linked to this project. These focus, at one end of the continuum, on focusing on Deaf culture and is linked to the perspectives on Deaf Studies teaching modules, and at the opposite end of the continuum on describing, for ISL, the phonological-morphological interface in ISL ad which will enrich the digital corpus of ISL. These feed into the online programme.

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Sign Language: The Study of Deaf People and Their Language

Language ◽

10.2307/414977 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 65 (4) ◽

pp. 898

Author(s):

P. David Seaman ◽

J. G. Kyle ◽

B. Woll

Keyword(s):

Sign Language ◽

Deaf People

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Deaf Ni-Vanuatu and their signs: A sociolinguistic study

10.26686/wgtn.17134766 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Jacqueline Iseli

Keyword(s):

Data Collection ◽

Sign Language ◽

Deaf People ◽

Deaf Community ◽

Sign Languages ◽

Individual Variations ◽

Field Methodology ◽

Degree Of Similarity ◽

Similarity Of Signs

<p>This thesis provides the first documentation and description of the signs created and used by deaf individuals in Vanuatu. The specific aims of this research were as follows: to establish the sociolinguistic context experienced by deaf people in Vanuatu; to identify the repertoire and characteristics of signs used by the deaf participants; to compare features of participants’ individual signs with the characteristics of home signs and emerging sign languages; and to consider the degree of similarity and potential similarity of signs between participants and how this reflects individuals’ opportunities for contact with other deaf people and signing interlocutors. The limitations of this study are that field methodology for data collection was developed in situ as conditions allowed. The sociolinguistic context for deaf Ni-Vanuatu confirms that language isolation leads to marginalisation from community and society. The study established that these home sign lexicons were limited in quantity and conceptual range, and that shared background knowledge was essential for comprehension. Overall, 22 handshapes were documented, and the predominant handshapes unmarked. Most participants preferred handling strategy for depicting signs. Some evidence of noun-verb distinction was noted in the repertoire of some participants. However, across this range of formational characteristics, results showed significant individual variations. Furthermore, multiple barriers have precluded development of a shared sign language and any form of deaf community.</p>

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“When I speak people look at me”

Translation and Translanguaging in Multilingual Contexts ◽

10.1075/ttmc.00027.nap ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 95-120 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jemina Napier ◽

Rosemary Oram ◽

Alys Young ◽

Robert Skinner

Keyword(s):

Professional Identity ◽

Sign Language ◽

Language Use ◽

Deaf People ◽

Sign Language Interpreters ◽

Situational Influences ◽

The Status ◽

First Time ◽

Deaf Signers

Abstract Deaf people’s lives are predicated to some extent on working with sign language interpreters. The self is translated on a regular basis and is a long-term state of being. Identity becomes known and performed through the translated self in many interactions, especially at work. (Hearing) others’ experience of deaf people, largely formed indirectly through the use of sign language interpreters, is rarely understood as intercultural or from a sociocultural linguistic perspective. This study positions itself at the cross-roads of translation studies, sociolinguistics and deaf studies, to specifically discuss findings from a scoping study that sought, for the first time, to explore whether the experience of being ‘known’ through translation is a pertinent issue for deaf signers. Through interviews with three deaf signers, we examine how they draw upon their linguistic repertoires and adopt bimodal translanguaging strategies in their work to assert or maintain their professional identity, including bypassing their representation through interpreters. This group we refer to as ‘Deaf Contextual Speakers’ (DCS). The DCS revealed the tensions they experienced as deaf signers in reinforcing, contravening or perpetuating language ideologies, with respect to assumptions that hearing people make about them as deaf people, their language use in differing contexts; the status of sign language; as well as the perceptions of other deaf signers about their translanguaging choices. This preliminary discussion of DCS’ engagement with translation, translanguaging and professional identity(ies) will contribute to theoretical discussions of translanguaging through the examination of how this group of deaf people draw upon their multilingual and multimodal repertoires, contingent and situational influences on these choices, and extend our understanding of the relationship between language use, power, identity, translation and representation.

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Identificação das Funcionalidades de um Assistente de Comunicação aos Surdos Aplicando Técnicas de Elicitação de Requisitos

10.14210/cotb.v12.p501-503 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Gabriel Araújo Belém ◽

Gabriela Fidelis de Oliveira ◽

Luiz Sousa da Silveira ◽

Priscila Silva Fernandes ◽

Vitor Bremgartner da Frota ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Sign Language ◽

Document Analysis ◽

High Fidelity ◽

Deaf People ◽

Brazilian Sign Language ◽

Simultaneous Translation

Deaf people have difficulty communicating due to the lack of masteryof Libras (Brazilian sign language for deaf citizens). New systemshave emerged to support the communication of people withhearing disabilities with regard to: simultaneous translation, teachingof Libras and presentation of animations. However, these systemsdo not have ready-made phrases or support for emergencysituations. Considering this scenario, this article presents the proposalof the Communication Assistant to the Deaf (AComS), whichaims to support the communication of people with hearing loss,complementing the features already presented by existing systemssuch as VLibras, HandTalk and MIDOAA. After the application ofrequirements gathering techniques such as document analysis andbenchmarking, a high-fidelity prototype of the system was proposed,which presents the various features of AComS in its mobileversion.

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Experimentação na educação química: elaboração de sinais em libras para práticas de laboratório

Revista Brasileira de Educação em Ciências e Educação Matemática ◽

10.33238/rebecem.2018.v.2.n.1.18994 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 41

Author(s):

Geilson Rodrigues Da Silva ◽

Talina Meirely Nery Dos Santos ◽

Griscele Souza De Jesus ◽

Lucas Pereira Gandra

Keyword(s):

General Chemistry ◽

Content Analysis ◽

Quantitative Analysis ◽

Bilingual Education ◽

Sign Language ◽

Chemistry Laboratory ◽

Deaf People ◽

Scientific Concepts ◽

Deaf Students ◽

Brazilian Sign Language

Resumo: A Química é uma Ciência com poucos sinais específicos em Língua Brasileira de Sinais para o ensino de pessoas com surdez. Essa barreira de linguagem pode ocasionar obstáculos de aprendizagem aos estudantes surdos. Sendo assim, a presente pesquisa teve como objetivos catalogar verbetes e criar sinais para a utilização em aulas práticas de Química. Para coleta de dados foram levantados os termos na literatura no dicionário ilustrado trilíngue que possuíssem relações com a disciplina de Química, ao qual foram categorizados a partir da Análise de Conteúdo, em função do seu emprego e utilização. Realizou-se a análise quantitativa dos termos mais presentes em roteiros de aulas experimentais, usadas na disciplina de Química Geral e Experimental Ida Licenciatura em Química do IFMS campus Coxim. Sendo elaborados quatro sinais de instrumentos do laboratório de Química que apresentam potencial para serem utilizados em práticas bilíngues, no ensino superior e médio.Palavras-chave: Educação Bilíngue; Formação de Conceitos Científicos; Práticas Experimentais. Experimentation in chemical education: elaboration signals in libras for laboratory practicesAbstract: Chemistry is a Science with few specific signs in Brazilian Sign Language for teaching deaf people. This language barrier can lead to learning obstacles for deaf students. Thus, the present research had as objectives to catalog entries and to create signals for the use in practical classes of Chemistry. In order to collect data, the terms in the literature in the trilingual illustrated dictionary that had relations with the discipline of Chemistry were categorized from the Content Analysis, according to their use and use. A quantitative analysis of the most present terms was carried out in experimental classes, used in the General Chemistry and Experimental I subject of the Chemistry Degree of the IFMS campus Coxim. Four signs of chemistry laboratory instruments are being developed, which have the potential to be used in bilingual practices in higher and secondary education.Keywords: Bilingual Education; Formation of Scientific Concepts; Experimental Practices.

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INFORMAÇÃO PARA E PELOS SURDOS: SOBRE TRANSMISSÃO AUDIOVISUAL EM LIBRAS E DESENVOLVIMENTO DA CRITICIDADE

polemica ◽

10.12957/polemica.2019.47377 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 23-36

Author(s):

Jaciara Sá Carvalho ◽

Rita de Cássia Martins da Costa Brito

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Sign Language ◽

Critical Consciousness ◽

Deaf People ◽

Access To Information ◽

World Knowledge ◽

Sign Language Interpreters ◽

Transmission Of Information ◽

The World ◽

Brazilian Sign Language

Resumo: Cerca de 5% da população brasileira possui algum grau de perda de audição (IBGE, 2010). São dez milhões de brasileiros com dificuldades de acesso às informações sobre as realidades de seu país e do mundo, ao conhecimento sistematizado pelas ciências etc. Alguns programas audiovisuais recorrem a legendas em Português e/ou intérpretes da Língua Brasileira de Sinais – Libras, atuando nas chamadas “janelinhas”, sendo exceção os produzidos por profissionais surdos e apresentados por eles em primeiro plano na tela. Sob tal contexto de discussão, e partindo da premissa da formação humana ao longo da vida, este artigo apresenta uma problematização acerca das diferenças entre a transmissão de informações por surdos e por intérpretes a partir de pesquisa bibliográfica. O trabalho sugere que uma informação transmitida de surdo para surdo, em audiovisuais, estaria mais próxima ao conteúdo original da mensagem e ao universo linguístico e cultural das comunidades Surdas. Também expõe uma reflexão sobre a necessidade de ampliação do repertório informacional para o desenvolvimento (permanente) da consciência crítica (FREIRE, 1979) pelos surdos que anseiam “ser mais”.Palavras-chave: Surdez. Libras. Acesso à informação. Abstract: About 5% of the Brazilian population has some degree of hearing loss (IBGE, 2010). There are ten million Brazilians who have difficulty accessing information about the realities of their country and of the world, knowledge drawn up by the sciences, etc. Some audiovisual programs use Portuguese subtitles and/or Brazilian Sign Language interpreters (Libras) acting in their little "windows" as they are called, with the exception of those produced by deaf professionals and presented to them in the foreground of the screen. Under this context of discussion, and based on the premise of human lifelong training, this article presents an examination of the differences between the transmission of information by deaf people and by interpreters, based on bibliographic research. The paper points out that information transmitted from deaf to deaf in audiovisuals would be closer to the original content of the message, and to the linguistic and cultural universe of the deaf community. It also presents a reflection on the need to expand the informational repertoire for the (permanent) development of critical consciousness (FREIRE, 1979) by deaf people who yearn to "be more."Keywords: Deafness. Libras. Access to information.

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The impact of vlogging on deaf culture, communication and identity

10.32920/ryerson.14665353.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ellen S. Hibbard

Keyword(s):

American Sign Language ◽

Sign Language ◽

Asynchronous Communication ◽

Deaf Culture ◽

Spatial Modulation ◽

Online Video ◽

Deaf People ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

The Impact ◽

Culture And Communication

This thesis presents a framework representing research conducted to examine the impact of website based online video technology for Deaf people, their culture, and their communication. This technology enables American Sign Language (ASL) asynchronous communication, called vlogging, for Deaf people. The thesis provides new insights and implications for Deaf culture and communication as a result of studying the practices, opinions and attitudes of vlogging. Typical asynchronous communication media such as blogs, books, e-mails, or movies have been dependent on use of spoken language or text, not incorporating sign language content. Online video and website technologies make it possible for Deaf people to share signed content through video blogs (vlogs), and to have a permanent record of that content. Signed content is typically 3-D, shared during face-to-face gatherings, and ephemeral in nature. Websites are typically textual and video display is 2-D, placing constraints on the spatial modulation required for ASL communication. There have been few academic studies to date examining signed asynchronous communication use by Deaf people and the implications for Deaf culture and communication. In this research, 130 vlogs by Deaf vloggers on the mainstream website YouTube, and specialized website Deafvideo.TV were examined to discover strategies employed by Deaf users as a result of the technology’s spatial limitations, and to explore similarities and differences between the two websites. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 Deaf people as follow up. The main findings from this research include register of vlogging formality depending on website type, informal on Deafvideo.TV while formal on YouTube. In addition, vlogs had flaming behaviour while unexpected findings of lack of ASL literature and use of technical elements that obscured ASL content in vlogs. Questions regarding the space changes and narrative elements observed have arisen, providing avenues for additional research. This study and more research could lead to a fuller understanding the impact of vlogging and vlogging technology on Deaf culture and identify potential improvements or new services that could offered.

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Creating Sign Language Web Forms

10.32920/ryerson.14657487.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Norma-Jane E. Thompson

Keyword(s):

American Sign Language ◽

Sign Language ◽

Software Tool ◽

Spatial Language ◽

Web Pages ◽

Deaf People ◽

Language Form ◽

Video Clips ◽

Visual Spatial ◽

Online Forms

Currently, the World Wide Web allows web pages to be produced in most written languages. Many deaf people, however, use a visual-spatial language with no written equivalent (e.g. American Sign Language). SignLink Studio, a software tool for designing sign language web pages, allows for hyperlinking within video clips so that sign language only web pages can be created. However, this tool does not allow for other interactive elements such as online forms. In this thesis, a model for an online sign language form is proposed and evaluated. A study consisting of 22 participants was conducted to examine whether there were differences in performance of preferences between sign language forms and text forms, and between two presentation styles (all-at-once versus one-at-a-time). The results showed that there was no clear performance advantage between sign language and text; however, participants were interested in having online questions presented in sign language. Also, there were no advantages in performance or preferences between presentation styles.

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