Fifteen undergraduates were trained to identify abstract forms in response to manual sign, CVC (consonant vowel consonant) sense syllables, or combined manual sign plus CVC nonsense syllables. Results suggest that facilitative effects of manual sign labels upon comprehension may be due to the iconic relationship between signs and their referents.…

Research shows that native signers do better academically than Ss who use speechreading, written English, or manual forms of English. Instruction through a natural sign language is also a benefit, and the transition to teaching through English can be successfully accomplished at about the fifth-grade level. (Author)

Discusses several neurolinguistic investigations of lateralization in the deaf. Questions frequency of bilingualism among deaf and suggests other factors relating to structural facets of sign language and to sociolinguistic organization of the deaf community also need to be taken into account in order to explain lateralization patterns in native…

American Sign Language (Ameslan) includes sex role stereotypes which implicitly treat females as subordinate to males. Particularly notable is the use of the upper portion of the head and brain area to sign male specific terms and the lower portion of the face to sign female specific terms. (Author/GC)

Responds to an article on the use of artificially developed sign language for the teaching of biology, and discusses the inaccuracies presented concerning the Technical Signs Project, which emphasizes the collection of existing signs rather than the artificial development of signs. Sign guidelines based on naturally developed signs are appended.…

Tells the story of a 16-year-old boy who attended and was expelled from the Spanish National School for Deaf Mutes and the Blind during the 1870s. (Author/VWL)

Focuses on the phonological deviance of the poetry of Dorothy Miles, who composed her work in both British Sign Language and English. Analysis is based on three poems performed by Miles herself. (Author/VWL)

Samuel Johnson said it was the greatest human calamity, Helen Keller said she would rather be blind, and A.G. Bell feared that unless extraordinary measures were taken, a new and toxic variety of the human race would emerge. Deafness, the invisible disability, affects only one person in one thousand, but for as long as history has been recorded it…

The New 7 Wonders of the World organization announced a shiny new list of the world's premier candidates. The people behind "Exceptional Parent" (EP) magazine were intrigued and inspired by the New 7 Wonders undertaking, and it started them thinking. If they had to name the 7 Wonders of the World of Disabilities, what or who would they…

This seminar proceedings document offers a summary of the views articulated in a paper by Robert E. Johnson and others titled "Unlocking the Curriculum: Principles for Achieving Access in Deaf Education." The paper's contention was that deaf students' low average academic achievement levels are not results of learning deficits inherently…

A survey indicated that out of 1,888 teachers of hearing-impaired students, 140 use American Sign Language (ASL) in their classrooms. Further investigation reduced this number to 25 who actually use ASL and 6 who probably do. (Author/CB)

A questionnaire survey assessing attitudes of 50 deaf adults toward sign language systems used in schools found the majority supported American Sign Language and Manually Coded English-Pidgin with some reservations. Respondents were also concerned about needs of individual deaf children and deaf adult involvement in educational decision making for…

This digest uses a question-and-answer format to summarize basic information about the use of English-based sign systems with children who are deaf or hard of hearing. English-based sign systems are explained as using the vocabulary of American Sign Language (ASL) with the grammatical and syntactical features of English. These systems include…

Describes the development of the Interactive Video Questionnaire for interviewing deaf persons. The questionnaire uses videodisc and bar-code readers to present survey questions on screen in American Sign Language, Signed English, speech reading, or as English subtitles. (DB)

A study involving three children who are deaf (grades 7-8) investigated the ways in which American Sign Language (ASL) and English-based sign allow for comprehension of text content. Retelling, proposition, and feature analysis scores indicate students understood the fable texts whether they were presented in ASL or English-based sign. (Contains…