The final report consists of three studies on aspects of a common theme, that a hearing impaired (HI) person's performance on information processing tasks depends on interactions of that person's cognitive structure and strategies with properties of materials to be processed and task demands. The first study, "Recall of Temporal/Spatial…

The paper addresses problems teachers of the severely hearing impaired have in being bimodal (speech plus signs) English role models as well as in using American Sign Language. The project described in this paper centers around inservice training and in-class demonstrations of the use of a modified form of Signed English to provide a visual…

This paper summarizes most of what Sign linguists know about the function of the eyes in American Sign Language discourse. Here, "eyes" is taken to cover both opening and closing of the eyes and looking in a particular direction, referred to as the signer's "gaze-direction." Evidence is presented demonstrating that a signer's gaze can be lexically…

An examination of the linguistics of American Sign Language (ASL) establishes beyond a doubt that ASL is a natural language distinct from English and provides insight into how the abstract cognitive system called language finds expression in the signed modality. (CB)

An anthropological study of the American Deaf Culture points out that its members do not merely constitute a subculture and that study of American Sign Language, like many other foreign languages, offers knowledge of not only a natural language but also the culture in which it is used. (CB)

Academic acceptance of American Sign Language (ASL) and its speakers can be achieved if higher education institutions make affirmative action training and employment commitments to deaf individuals. (CB)

Describes a conversation measure for evaluation communicative competence of deaf adolescents and adults in light of: 1) the rationale behind its development; 2) its independence of the subjects' language variety; and 3)its use in a study of 40 deaf adolescents. The interview protocal is give in the Appendix. (Author/LMO)

Examines the effect of adult recasting in sign language on the acquisition of specific syntactic-semantic structures by deaf children aged 9 to 76 months. Results indicated that recasting triggered the acquisition of new syntactic-semantic structures in American Sign Language and English, evident in the spontaneous production of previously…

This paper discusses ways to facilitate the emerging literacy of deaf children by encouraging bilingualism in American Sign Language and English within the context of what is known from research and practice about emerging literacy in hearing and deaf children. This approach focuses on enrichment by the addition of a second language (English)…

Reviews various methods of communication for hearing-impaired individuals, including American Sign Language (ASL) and a computer system which analyzes speech and flashes appropriate symbols onto a wearer's eyeglass lenses to aid in lipreading. Illustrates how an ASL sign can be changed to create a new word. (Author/JN)

Principles of "shared reading," in which a book is read by the teacher, then by teacher and students together, and then by the students independently, are discussed and applied to language acquisition and reading instruction of deaf and hearing impaired children. Students use the book to help them write and compare English and American…

Twenty-eight hearing college students were trained on 30 signs from American Sign Language that had been classified as iconic, opaque, or abstract. Students learned and retained iconic signs better than opaque or abstract. A videotaped presentation mode produced greater consistency in scores than computer-assisted instruction. (Author/JDD)

A four-year study found that an intervention program with two elementary-level hearing teachers of deaf students significantly improved the teachers' ability to consistently code English into sign. This article describes components of the intervention program; its rationale; sign-to-speech ratios before and after intervention; and coding of…

A model of direct communication in American Sign Language is presented for application in mainstreamed adult education courses. Comparisons of 12 hearing and 11 deaf students enrolled in a mainstreamed word processing class using the suggested client-centered, individual instruction format with limited lecture time showed no significant…

Provides suggestions to promote English literacy to students with hearing impairments in residential environments. Strategies include model reading and writing, read to children regularly and in American Sign Language, set up a writing center, encourage book sharing, set up a home library/reading center, and encourage ownership of books. (CR)