Twenty college students learned sign language vocabularly via an interactive videodisc system, while 20 control group students learned the same signs through a traditional classroom approach. The experimental group took one-third less time to learn as many signs as the control group. (Author/JDD)

Comments on James J. Fernandes' article (CS 706 160). (PD)

A discussion of American Sign Language looks at its history in the context of deaf education and its increasing acceptance as a complete natural language both among linguists and in the college curriculum. (MSE)

Examines American Sign Language (ASL) in the context of the orality/literacy debate and issues of language and cognition. Posits that ASL is a natural language independent of English, and asserts that examining other modes of language use can illuminate the nature of discourse in both oral and written forms. (MM)

Describes a novel approach to teaching verbal communication principles to hearing-impaired students: students invent languages and attempt to use them in small groups. The assignment reveals important characteristics, functions, and limitations of language. (This approach was originally developed by Nels Juleus for nonhandicapped students. For his…

Discusses background information about the deaf that may be useful to reading teachers working with older deaf students; suggests additional sources of information on sign language and reading instruction for the deaf. (MKM)

A discussion of the field of clinical linguistics outlines the scope of the discipline, notes its relationship to other speech- and language-related fields, and describes the components of an undergraduate program for individuals in a linguistically relevant clinical field. It suggests general linguistics curriculum components for clinical…

Twenty-eight college students with normal hearing, naive to sign language, were trained on 30 American Sign Language signs using computer-assisted instruction or a videotaped presentation. Results indicated significantly higher scores under the videotaped condition when sign learning and retention were probed 3 and 10 days after training.…

The learning of a list of 20 Blissymbols and comparable American Sign Language signs by 121 nonhandicapped undergraduate psychology students was compared. Blissymbols were learned significantly faster than manual signs, particularly in early learning trials. Results are discussed in terms of the memory requirements of the two systems. (Author/JDD)

Describes the situations encountered in an academic library when hiring and training hearing impaired individuals as technicians in the library's cataloging department, as well as the support systems and training modifications used for these employees. (CLB)

A discussion of the use of sign language interpreters for deaf college students looks at the interpreter's role, classroom organization, pacing of speech, testing, and class discussion. Teachers are encouraged to use the interpreter's presence and expertise as an opportunity to reassess and enhance classroom communication dynamics. (MSE)

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 La Guardia Community College (New York) course in developmental writing for deaf students features small class size and teachers fluent in American Sign Language. Teaching practices include reading of model essays on topics of interest to deaf students, peer feedback on the first two drafts of writing assignments, and student "reading…

This booklet presents basic issues and recommendations of a Nevada legislative task force on the establishment of courses in American Sign Language (ASL) for credit as a foreign language in the public schools and institutions of higher education. An introductory section, "American Sign Language and Deaf Culture Issues and Answers: A Basic…

Gallaudet College provides education for preschool age through adult hearing impaired persons. Because of the lack of clear and continuous communication during their developing years, students who come to the school have not learned the English language well and have had communication problems most of their lives. To address these problems,…