In recent years, researchers have turned their attention to the cognitive impact of bilingualism, and the benefits of using two languages have become increasingly apparent. Children raised in bilingual families exhibit stronger awareness of the style and tone of language, stronger cognitive development, and higher levels of reading skill than…

Postsecondary American Sign Language (ASL) students are capable of teaching short lessons related to sign language and Deaf culture to gifted students in elementary school. College students who work as "interest-area mentors" benefit gifted students while building their own academic discipline and professional skills. In Part 1 of a 2-part series…

States that ASL (American Sign Language) has recently gained the interest of theater educators as a teaching tool, and that Gallaudet University is the leader in deaf theater education. Discusses sign language interpreting for the theater as a growing field. Explores programs in the New York School for the Deaf and the Cleveland SignStage. (PA)

A Florida elementary school mainstreaming 30 children with deafness and hearing impairments has developed a collection of signed videotapes for teachers, parents, and students to borrow. Videotapes include signed story books, tapes for teaching sign language, and tapes made by students. (DB)

Describes fingerspelling as it is used within the American deaf community and the development of fingerspelling skills in deaf (and hearing) children, suggesting that fingerspelling is largely discounted despite its potential for linkage to English orthography and literacy development. Strategies for increasing the use of fingerspelling by…

Communication Challenge Softball is a developmentally appropriate game for middle school students. The game allows them to develop new communication skills using American Sign Language (signing). Traditional softball has been a part of physical education for years, and remains a popular sport played by children in community leagues throughout the…

This report describes the development of two sets of videotapes on early tactile signaling and on interactive signing systems to be used with individuals who are deaf-blind. A tactile signal is defined as a touch cue, tactile gesture, and/or action cue, and these motions help to promote communication for the child who is deaf-blind. The process of…

This article describes the impetus and rationale for the development of the Sign Language Skills Classroom Observation (SLSCO) assessment. The procedure for developing the SLSCO is discussed and the results of use of the SLSCO with National Technical Institute for the Deaf faculty (n=14) during a trial year are summarized. (Contains references.)…

Presents a unit on clay that is centered around sign language in which students explore the slab method of working with clay. States that each student picks a letter of the sign language alphabet and fashions a clay hand to depict the letter. (CMK)

A school for deaf and hard-of-hearing preschoolers organized and presented a circus, with the objectives of improving reading and writing skills, interaction and cooperation, math and science readiness, fine and gross motor skills, and self-esteem. The students performed as lion tamers, lions, tumblers, weight lifters, and clowns. (JDD)

This paper and the accompanying CD-ROM disks are the outcome of a federally funded project to research and develop an interactive multimedia sign language training system for educational interpreters for students with deafness. The program consists of four 20- to 30-minute lessons on the use of non-manual grammatical markers in American Sign…

The article describes activities and outcomes of a home-based early intervention project in Jamaica which helped two mothers learn to communicate with their young congenitally deaf children. The program suggests a pragmatic approach to help Third World parents who are unable to participate in structured sessions in the school environment. (DB)

A prototype interactive videodisc system was created with the objectives of teaching signed communication skills to hearing associates of deaf children and language patterns to deaf children. This paper reviews the applications of computer technology in deaf education, the self-instructional capabilities of interactive videodisc systems, and…

The Deaf Adult Literacy program was created to meet the educational needs of deaf and hearing-impaired adult learners. The program was structured by an advisory committee of learners and teachers and was based on a model of bilingual education. All instruction was provided in American Sign Language (ASL) by teachers who were themselves deaf-native…

These four conference papers from the Biennial Conference on Postsecondary Education for Persons who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing focus on staff development and administrative issues for postsecondary personnel working with students with deafness or who are hard of hearing. The first paper, "Mentorship for the Working Interpreter"…