Signing Savvy Blog

A perspective on deaf education: Dr. Joseph Valente's "Hearing the Unheard"

Mon, 07 May 2012 20:08:23 EDT

Our recent blog article on Education Options for Children that are Deaf or Hard of Hearing covered the various educational options available. We did not specify any one option as being "the best" option because every child, family, and situation is different and education is a very personal decision. However, one of our suggestions was to connect with deaf adults who can provide advice based on their own education experience.

We found a TEDx video by Dr. Joseph Valente that talks about his education experience. With the slogan "Ideas worth spreading," TED is an event where speakers share their thoughts on a variety of topics. Dr. Valente's talk was at a TEDx event locally run by Penn State University.

Dr. Valente is deaf and touches on his experience being mainstreamed. He discusses how deaf and hard of hearing students aren't disabled and shouldn't be in special education; they are bilingual and need a bilingual education. He feels deaf schools are great for students because they use both spoken language and signed language. He also talks about not meeting other deaf or hard of hearing students as a child and feeling alone. He believes deaf schools are great in socializing students and exposing them to Deaf culture.

Watch Dr. Joseph Valente's TEDxPSU video "Hearing the Unheard" to hear his story and perspective on deaf education:

NOTE ON CAPTIONS: We wish this video was available with a view of the interpreter, but at least full captions are available. If you aren't seeing the captions, scroll onto the video, click the "CC" and then select to turn the captions on.

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Education Options for Children that are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:12:05 EDT

We have received questions from parents, family and friends of newly identified children with hearing loss asking about what we know about educational options. Let me begin by saying that making educational decisions for you child is a very personal decision and takes a lot of thought and discussion with professionals that have specific knowledge of the services available in your area. There are many different education options to explore. You need to determine what is the best fit for your family.

Educational Options

Early Intervention / Preschool Programs

Early intervention / preschool programs are typically for children from birth to four years old. They aim to develop early language and communication skills, as well as provide support and resources for parents. These programs may be provided by a variety of local organizations, such as public schools, government (health and human services departments), residential schools, and private organizations.

When researching what types of programs are offered in your local area, find out who the programs are intended for and who teaches them. Some programs may be for a more inclusive group of children with a variety of special needs or they may be specifically for children that are deaf or hard of hearing. Teachers may have a degree in special education or have training specifically in deaf education. These distinctions may not reflect on the quality of the program, but are important to understand when evaluating your options.

Residential Schools

A residential school is an institution where students typically go and live full time while attending. These can be private or state schools. All the students in the school are deaf or hard of hearing. They are often educated by deaf teachers or teachers who are trained in deafness. Some residential schools offer day-only options for students that are able to commute from home.

PROS:

Students will be around other deaf and hard of hearing students.
Education is tailored to the needs of deaf and hard of hearing.
Schools often incorporate sign language.
Most schools offer a variety of extracurricular activities, including sports and clubs, where the students interact with other deaf residential schools. These activities can help foster a larger Deaf community for the student.
Students build relationships and are involved in Deaf culture and community.
Often there is access to strong deaf role models.

CONS:

Students are usually away from home and their families for long periods of time.
Children can feel isolated from their families.
There may be expenses involved in this type of schooling.

You can find a list of Schools and Programs for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students in the United States on the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center Website.

Oral Day Schools or Sign Day Schools

Oral Day Schools or Sign Day Schools are schools that provide education for deaf or hard of hearing students, but they are day schools and the students return home each day. Oral Day Schools focus more on auditory and oral skills and do not incorporate sign language. Sign Day Schools do use sign language.

PROS:

Students will be around other deaf and hard of hearing students.
Education is tailored to the needs of deaf and hard of hearing.
There may be additional pros, similar to those of residential schools.

CONS:

The availability and location of these types of schools may eliminate them as an option for families who don’t live near one. They are often located in higher populated areas, like metropolitan cities.
There may be expenses involved in this type of schooling.

You can find a list of Oral Deaf Schools in the U.S. on the Oberkotter Foundation Oral Deaf Education Web Site

You can find a list of Schools and Programs for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students in the United States on the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center Website.

Mainstreaming (Public School)

"Mainstreaming" has a long history of being a controversial topic in deaf and hard of hearing education. Mainstreaming is when a deaf or hard of hearing student attends a local public school with hearing students. The experience can vary greatly depending on the support services the school has to provide and the needs of the student.

The best way to find out what the services are in your local area is to contact the local public school district or regional service district and see what they have to offer. Because deafness is considered a “low incidence disability” by government education code (meaning there isn’t a large number of deaf children in a concentrated area), there is limited funding available and every school district handles it differently.

Having a general understanding of how the educational system is structured can help you understand how to navigate it. Typically a group of individual schools will make up a school district, and in parts of the U.S. there are also intermediate school districts that manage multiple school districts. Because there isn’t always enough funding for individual schools to have their own deaf or hard of hearing program, many times the programs will be controlled at the district or intermediate school district level and students are bused to one central location for education.

Here are some examples of how mainstreaming can vary:

Regular Classroom
The student is in a regular classroom with hearing students and all instruction is from the classroom teacher(s). There are little to no additional support services provided for the deaf or hard of hearing student.
Regular Classroom with additional support services
The student is in a regular classroom with hearing students, however, there is some support in addition to the classroom teacher(s). The support may come from an additional teacher, teacher consultant, teacher of the deaf, speech/language specialist, or interpreter. The support may be provided within the classroom, where the helper would co-teach or work with the deaf or hard of hearing student in conjunction with the main teacher addressing the entire class, or the student may meet with the specialist after class, outside of the classroom.
Resource Room
The student is in a regular classroom with hearing students, however, they leave the classroom for designated periods to receive special instruction. Some students may be with other deaf or hard of hearing individuals during this period, or they may be with other students with special education needs, such as physical or cognitive disabilities – that is an important distinction to be aware of.
Self-Contained Classroom
The student is in a class, separate from the regular classroom, with a teacher for the deaf.

PROS/CONS:

The pros and cons of mainstreaming and the quality of that education vary greatly depending on the environment and type of support provided for the student. Mainstreamed students can feel isolated if they are the only deaf or hard of hearing student and may lack access to deaf role models. One advantage is that mainstreaming allows students to stay at home with their family, opposed to living away for schooling. With resources being shared across school districts, students are often bused to one central location where they are with a group of deaf and hard of hearing students as well as hearing students, yet they may also have a self contained classroom that they can go to throughout the day for additional support. This allows the deaf and hard of hearing students to participate in any of the school's extracurricular activities, such as sports or clubs.

Homeschool Environment

Homeschooling is when students are educated by parents or tutors outside of the formal setting of a public or private school (like at home).

PROS:

Parents have the opportunity to tailor the education experience specifically for their child.
The student doesn’t need to live away from home for schooling.

CONS:

The student may feel isolated from peers.
When there is only a single education provider for an extended length of time, there may be less variety in teaching methods and perspectives that a student would receive in a typical school setting where they have a new teacher every year.
There may be significant costs associated when a tutor(s) are hired or a parent leaves their job to do homeschool instruction full time.

Making Education Decisions

Again, making education decisions for your child is a very personal decision. Some things to think about:

The best thing you can do is research your options and be an advocate for your child’s needs. Every child is different – with different learning styles, different personalities, different strengths, and different levels of hearing loss.
Education quality varies from school to school. No matter the type of education you choose to pursue, make sure that you learn what you can about the specific school and talk to other parents with children there if possible.
There is not one education option that is best for everyone. Every student and family is different and has different needs.
Hearing parents might want to connect with deaf adults who can provide advice on their own education experience.
Try to build positive relationships with school administrators and teachers. They may be able to help increase the options and opportunities available with the education system.

Please feel free to share your own experience by leaving a comment.

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Top 10 Pearls of Wisdom for Interpreters

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:30:59 EDT

This article is by guest blogger Brenda Cartwright. Brenda is a seasoned interpreter, a master teacher and well known presenter. She will be contributing blog articles for Signing Savvy on interpreting and deaf culture.

Interpreting can be both rewarding and challenging. Here is my list of top ten pearls of wisdom for interpreters:

Yuo msut haev gud Englesh and spellnig skells. (Enuff sed)
Not everything can be learned in an Interpreter Training Program.
There is so much that comes from the experiences you will receive out in the field. Reflect and respect what you learned in your Interpreter Training Program (ITP) but remember that (as in life) the lessons you will continue to learn will be very valuable in your career as an interpreter.
If you’re 5 minutes early, you’re late.
Running in at the last minute bonking your clients in the head with your purse as you pass by frantically, then having to excuse yourself to use the bathroom is not professional or reassuring that you are prepared. Nothing is worse than a late interpreter! Be aware of the situation and setting for which you are interpreting, and then show up early according to those details. It will pay off in spades in the end.
Remember you pave the way for the next interpreter.
We are all a team here. Let’s not ruin it or muddy the waters by talking ill of others who have proceeded or may follow.
Doubt means don’t.
Follow your gut, it’s not just processing the coffee you drank this morning.
Remember why you started, because there are always 1000 reasons to quit.
This career can be the most rewarding, yet the most frustrating thing you have ever done... and sometimes all in the same interpreting job!
Don’t be a "smell money interpreter".
This is to remind people hopefully why they got in this profession. You chose this profession for the money? Really? To be fluent in any language you have to practice, and in this field you can only do that by hanging out with native users. But you can't just say, "be my friend so I can learn this language" and then just dump them. Once you're in the community you're in for life.
Nobody likes a know it all.
This relates back to # 2, about taking in the new experiences, as well as LISTENING and REFLECTING before you speak. If you truly feel you have something pertinent to share, you can do so, but do it in a way that looks like you are trying to be helpful, not like you have every answer and you have been dropped down directly from God to save this situation.
Know how to flatter. When to flatter.
Remember, no one likes a brown noser. Flattery might seem nice but it soon turns into kissing up. Avoid it, especially if it is fake because it is quickly recognized.
Black goes with everything. (And is very thinning!)
For those of you that don’t know, interpreters are supposed to wear solid colors. The general rule for interpreting is that you are supposed to wear solid colors that contrast with one's skin tone. I still own a lot of black clothes but as long as it contrasts with my skin tone I can also pick from fun colors called: cinnamon, pumpkin, blueberry, concord grape, plum, amethyst, moss, shale. Happy shopping!

About the Guest Blogger

Brenda Cartwright is a seasoned interpreter, a master teacher and well known presenter. She is a child of deaf parents (her cat's name is Coda). Her undergraduate degree is in Deaf Education from Ball State University and her master's degree is in Education from Indiana University. She holds a CSC (Comprehensive Skills Certificate) as well as CI (Certificate of Interpretation) and CT (Certificate of Transliteration) certifications. For the last 30 years Brenda has been the Director of the Sign Language / Interpreter Program at Lansing Community College in Lansing Michigan. In addition she is the author of several best selling textbooks from RID Press: Sign Language Interpreting: Exploring Its Art and Science, Encounters With Reality: 1001 Interpreter Scenarios, Fingerspelling in American Sign Language, Numbering In American Sign Language, and Multiple Meanings in American Sign Language.

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Celebrated Deaf Artist Chuck Baird Dies

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 12:45:58 EDT

Chuck Baird, an amazing Deaf artist died February 10, 2012 after a four-year battle with cancer.

Chuck Baird was often referred to as a playful mind and a generous heart. I was able to meet Chuck as he visited with a group of young Deaf and Hard of Hearing children. I have to admit his playful mind and generous heart is what stuck out to me the most while I watched him totally pull the children into his wonderful world of art.

Chuck was born deaf 64 years ago in Kansas City, Missouri. He graduated from Kansas School for the Deaf in 1967 and attended Gallaudet University for two years. Later he attended Rochester Institute of Technologyâ��s National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), where he played football for their team for only four games. He decided to give up the sport for his love of art instead.

Robert Baker of NTIDâ��s Dyer Arts Center described Baird best as â��a giant of an artist and a wonderful man.â�� Chuckâ��s time at NTID also included time spent in the Drama Club. He acted in several productions and designed and painted several sets. One of his most memorable plays was â��King of Heartsâ�� where each night Chuck would recreate the entire set in front of a live audience!

Later in life Chuck worked for DawnSignPress as an in-house artist creating a number of Deaf-related works.

Chuckâ��s works were known for the genre called Deâ��VIA, which stood for Deaf View Image Arts. This genre explored the perspective of Deaf people and their experiences in a hearing world. Deaf and Hard of Hearing children of all ages loved to see their language, American Sign Language, being used in art to express their point of view.

"Crocodile Dundee" Copyright Chuck Baird, 1992. In this Chuck Baird painting, notice the reflection of the crocodile is the sign for crocodile. To see more of Chuck Baird's paintings, visit Chuck Baird's website.

â��Chuck spent his life sharing his talent and love for the Deaf-world via his art. He constantly sought to create spaces where new Deâ��Via artists could be fostered, shared, valued and discussed.â��

Rest in Peace Chuck Baird, your talents will live on through the many, many people you inspired with your great perspective and zest for life.

Learn more about Chuck Baird:

Article Sources:

Photo of Chuck Baird: Olathe, Ken. Deaf Cultural Center. Original Website.
"Crocodile Dundee" Painting: Copyright Chuck Baird, 1992. Chuck Baird's website
RIT/NTID article on Chuck Baird's passing
Chuck Baird's website

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The Hammer movie delivers inspirational true story

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 01:01:54 EDT

The Hammer, a movie based on the life of the first deaf NCAA Wrestling Champion and UFC Fighter Matt "The Hammer" Hamill, was released on DVD a few weeks ago. The DVD cover says, "the inspirational true story," and it was just thatâ�¦ whether or not you are interested in wrestling, sign language, or deaf culture, the movie is an inspirational story about overcoming challenges and working hard to make your dreams a reality. And if you are interested in sign language (of course you are, if you are on Signing Savvy!), you should check out this movie.

Watch the trailer:

Different, not Disabled.

The film takes us on Matt's journey from childhood to an adult, starting with a scene where his grandfather is in the room with an audiologist while Matt, as a toddler, is having his hearing tested. The grandfather says to the audiologist, "After a couple of flashing lights and a teddy bear, you're going to tell me my grandson is deaf and dumb?" The audiologist responds, "Noâ�¦ I'm going to tell you, you have a highly intelligent grandson who is profoundly deaf."

This heart-wrenching opening scene represents an all too common misconception of those who are deaf or hard of hearing (HOH). There is nothing "dumb" about deaf or HOH individuals and please be careful with using the terminology "handicapped" as well. Deaf or HOH individuals are just as capable, able, and intelligent as hearing individuals. The Hammer movie does a great job of showing this distinction of different, not disabled.

When you know better, you do better.

Matt's grandfather was a strong influence in his life and although throughout the film he delivers "tough love" to try to make him stronger, it's not because he views Matt as weak, it's because he sees how strong he is. A scene close to the end of the movie shows a softer side of his grandfather and the love he has for Matt (but we won't spoil it for you!). The film can help introduce those unfamiliar with deaf and HOH individuals with deaf culture.

A glimpse into deaf culture.

There are a lot of takeaways in the film for those not familiar with deaf culture. The film's production team made some great decisions which added to the authenticity and overall storytelling within the film:

They casted all deaf roles in the film with deaf actors.
There is a sparse soundtrack and the audio is softened and muffled in certain parts to try to give hearing viewers a small glimpse into what it would be like to be deaf.
Sign language is used in the film with captioning so non-signers can understand (it is the first non-foreign language film to incorporate open captioning). For those that don't understand sign language, it adds to the storytelling aspect of the film. For those who are deaf, HOH, or learning sign language, you can turn off the captioning.
The director also noted that, "I used many wide angles to help mirror an enhanced peripheral view, which is common among deaf people who communicate 100% through visuals."

The verdict: Two open-palm, shaking hands (sign for clapping/cheering)

The Hammer is an inspirational story of determination and a sensory view into deaf culture for the hearing. If you are learning sign language, you should check out this movie.

But don't just take our word for it... The Hammer was a winner at several film festivals, including the Newport Beach Film Festival, Florida Film Festival, AFI Film Festival, Miami Film Festival, Cleveland Film Festival, Philly Cinefest Film Festival, Maui Film Festival, and Heartland Film Festival.

Finding the Film

Please note this film is rated PG-13 and not for young children.

The Hammer can be found at Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Blockbuster, iTunes, Netflix, and many cable and satellite PayPerView providers.

You can also find it on the website for The Hammer movie.

Thoughts? Discussion?

The Hammer brings up many interesting topics for discussion. If you watched the movie, tell us what you thought:

Did you like the movie?
What did it leave you thinking about?
If you could ask Matt "The Hammer" Hamill or the Producers/Director of the movie a question, what would you ask them?

We would love to hear your thoughts! Leave your comment below or on the Signing Savvy Facebook Page.

All you need is LOVE...

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:50:55 EDT

Sing it or sign it, either way the Beatles knew what they were talking about there!

We thought it would be appropriate with Valentineâ��s Day this week to write a blog covering all the different ways to show LOVE... in sign language that is!

Many people know and use the sign for I LOVE YOU. This sign is used universal throughout the country and the world. We see it all over television, at sporting events and during "shout outs" to our mothers. The sign is actually the combination of the fingerspelled letters I, L and Y.

I have had people ask why the sign looks similar to the one that some people hold up at rock concerts, where the thumb is held down and the pointer finger and the little finger are held up. It is NOT the same. Remember, the thumb of the Y hand has to be present in order for you to be signing the I LOVE YOU sign.

Another sign that gets confused with the I LOVE YOU sign is the Hawaiian "shaka" sign meaning aloha, hang loose, or right on. Interestingly, this is also the ASL sign for YELLOW. Again, this is a different sign, as it leaves out the pointer finger. It is basically just shaking the Y hand.

The actual sign for LOVE is both arms folded across the chest. That is to show love or have love for another person or animal, etc.

Another sign for LOVE that you will see on the site is the kissing of the back of the S hand, then pulling it away from the mouth. This is a sign that is generally used to show a passion for something, like a certain type of food or a type of music.

Some people have asked why we donâ��t list the I LOVE YOU sign under the sign for LOVE on our site. It is because they are different signs and we donâ��t want new signers to confuse the single I LOVE YOU handshape with the general meanings and uses of the word LOVE. We donâ��t want you to confuse the signs and use the I LOVE YOU sign in a place where you really mean to just say LOVE.

An example of this would be this sentence: My mother loves to travel. You wouldnâ��t want to say: MOTHER + MINE + I LOVE YOU + TRAVEL (It just doesnâ��t make sense.) You need to use the sign LOVE there.

Another example sentence: I love to eat deep dish pizza! You wouldnâ��t want to say: PIZZA + THICK + I LOVE YOU + EAT. You need to use the kissing the back of the hand version of LOVE in this instance.

I hope that clears up some of your LOVE issues! Spread the LOVE and Happy Valentineâ��s Day from all of us at Signing Savvy!

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Quizzing Enhanced with Fill-in-the-Blank Option

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:18:04 EDT

We have enhanced the Signing Savvy quizzing feature to add a "fill-in-the-blank" question type in addition to the two multiple choice question types ("match meaning to sign" and "match sign to meaning"). The new "fill-in-the-blank" question type is a particularly good way to test your fingerspelling recognition skills (as discussed in the previous blog post, FINGERSPELLINGâ�¦â�¦that dirty BIG four-teen letter word!).

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FINGERSPELLING……that dirty BIG four-teen letter word!

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:32:00 EDT

In all my years of signing, I have never had anyone say to me, "I canâ��t believe how easy fingerspelling is!" or "Man, I really LOVE fingerspelling all these odd words that donâ��t have signs for them." It just isnâ��t a favorite part of the job! It is the thing that makes even seasoned interpreters break into a sweat when they have to start signing for a calculus class or in a court of law with a bunch of foreign names flying through the air.

I have come up with a few tricks through the years to make it easier, but the only true way to improve your fingerspelling skills is to practice. The practice needs to be both receptive and expressive.

Signing Terminology
Expressive - When you are signing/fingerspelling something to someone else.

Receptive - When you are reading(watching) someone else's signing/fingerspelling

There are some good websites out there that offer some examples to get that receptive practice. (See our Facebook page for one sited there.) I also want to take this opportunity to show you a few ways Signing Savvy can help you with your fingerspelling. Although we have many savvy users of the site, it can be easy to overlook features if you have not used them before.

First, Signing Savvy shows a fingerspelled version of every word. When viewing a sign video, the squares next to the word indicate the different versions of the sign that exist and there is always a "FS" version, which lets you see the word fingerspelled. It is a good reference, however, you will notice that the "FS" version individually signs each letter and does not demonstrate the flow between the letters. (Note: There are some words that should always be fingerspelled and the main video is of the word being fingerspelled - see ASL as an example and notice the flow between letters). You will notice that underneath the video it tells you what is currently being signed, including the current letter being signed when fingerspelling a whole word.

Second, if you are a Signing Savvy Full Member you can use the Signing Savvy flashcards and quizzes to test yourself on fingerspelled words by creating a wordlist of only fingerspelled versions of words. If you want to add a word that has multiple signed versions to your wordlist, just make sure you are viewing the "FS" or fingerspelled version before adding it to your wordlist. Once you have all the words you want in your wordlist, use either the flashcard or quizzing feature in Signing Savvy to test yourself.

I thought it would be interesting to put the question out there to our Facebook followers and see if they could come up with a few interesting tricks of their own. Here are some of their suggestions:

Fingerspelling while in the car.
Several people suggested the trick of fingerspelling while in the car (license plates, road signs, building names etcâ�¦.). I like that idea but I just hope you are the passenger in the car at the time so that you arenâ��t having to fingerspell the license plate of the car you rear-end because you are too focused on spelling the LONG name on the building you are passing!

If you are on a longer road trip, you could also play the "alphabet game" where you look for words (on signs, billboards, buildings, cars, etc.) that start with each letter of the alphabet, starting with A. You compete with others in the car by trying to be the first to get to Z. Each word you see, you would point at it and then fingerspell it. An alternate version would be to look for any item, not just words. Of course, again, this game is not recommended for the driver.
Focus on the whole word and not letter by letter.
Another suggestion from our Facebook friends was to focus on the whole word and not letter by letter. This allows you to have a better flow as well. It is also helpful to say the sounds of the letters, NOT the letter itself as you are spelling the word phonetically. (This works well with both expressive and receptive fingerspelling.)
Donâ��t get fixated on each letter.
Donâ��t get fixated on each letter, rather focus on the entire word and the flow of the hand changing as you create the word in the air. This will also help in not allowing you to â��throw your lettersâ��, which is another common problem for new finger spellers.

Signing Terminology
"Throwing your letters" - This is something that many new signers do and it is a bouncing movement either up and down or forward that is disruptive and bothers with the reading of the fingerspelling. The elbow should stay still and just have the fingers moving and the wrist when appropriate.

We also need to remember the general rules for fingerspelling. It isnâ��t right to makeup signs for words you donâ��t know because they are too long to fingerspell. You may laugh, but I see it happen all the time! Some people have even used the excuse that they work with young children so they canâ��t fingerspell. That is NOT true. When young children are fingerspelled to for small words that normally can be fingerspelled, they focus on the shape of the word. They will copy the shape to the best of their ability and then later they will make the connection to the alphabet. I have seen little children who are too young to know better, spelling words like BUS and BUG and are not even aware that they are spelling things.

I invite everyone to join us on our Facebook page where we have regular discussions and questions going back and forth about the hot topics in sign language and Deaf....

Showing TENSE while signing ASL

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:34:29 EDT

One thing that many new signers struggle with is how to show tense (past, present and future) while signing. In ASL, you don't sign words like went or going or suffixes like "ing", "ed" or "s".

By including the sign NOW at the beginning of a sentence, you can clarify the sentence is in the present tense.

English Version: I am going to the store.
ASL Version: NOW + STORE + I + GO.

By including the sign PAST or BEFORE (the open hand waves back over the shoulder in a single motion) at the beginning of a sentence, you can change the meaning of the sentence from present to past.

English Version: I went to the store.
ASL Version: BEFORE + STORE + I + GO

Alternatively, you can make the sentence show past tense by adding the sign FINISH to the end OR the beginning of the sentences.

English Version: I went to the store.
ASL Version 1: STORE + I + GO + FINISH
ASL Version 2: FINISH + STORE + I + GO

You can make the sentence show future tense by adding the sign NEXT to the beginning of the sentences.

English Version: I will go to the store.
ASL Version: NEXT + STORE + I + GO

To summarize, in ASL we use the following signs to clarify the tense:

NEXT to show FUTURE TENSE
PAST/BEFORE or FINISH to show PAST TENSE
NOW to show PRESENT TENSE

The time of the day that the signer is signing the phrase can effect how the sentence is interpreted, even though the words/signs are exactly the same.

For example, if the sentence below was signed in the morning, the interpretation would be as shown: "Tonight, I will eat dinner."

English Version: Tonight, I will eat dinner.
ASL Version: NOW + EVENING + I + EAT + DINNER

But if the same sentence was signed late in the evening, its' interpretation would be: "Tonight, I ate dinner".

English Version: Tonight, I ate dinner.
ASL Version: NOW + EVENING + I + EAT + DINNER

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Tips for Learning Sign Language in Your Natural Environment

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 23:48:20 EDT

One of the most common questions I get from people who are first learning sign language is, "How do you remember so many new words? It's overwhelming!" It is; and unless you plan on incorporating it into your everyday life, it won't stick with you.

Often sign language instructors will divide sign vocabulary up into categories like household items, food, family, colors, shapes etc... Doing this helps you to categorize the words and file them into your memory bank that way. As you are using Signing Savvy to learn, create your own word lists to categorize the signs you are learning or look into the many, many shared word lists that others have already created. This categorization of vocabulary will be very helpful to you in your learning.

Also, start with the words that are a part of your everyday life, the words with which you will have constant interaction. Then using the printing feature from Signing Savvy, print out little cheat sheet photos that you can place around the house on those everyday items. You will be surprised how quickly you will memorize the signs for these words.

Then later, because you have already created the word lists, you will be able to give yourself a quiz online to be able to sharpen those skills even more.

If you have others that live with you, see if they will help you practice both your receptive (you receiving the sign from others) and expressive skills (you signing the words to others). It is this constant interaction that will improve your learning experience.

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Learning Sign Language as a Foreign Language

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 10:17:43 EDT

Learning signing language as a foreign language is a very good option for hearing students. It greatly enhances their understanding of languages. It increases their ability to communicate in a variety of situations when a spoken language is not an option. And American Sign Language is the fourth most used language in the United States. We love the idea of a world where more and more people are able to more effectively communicate with our vibrant Deaf and Hard of Hearing population. That has been a goal of our web site from day one!

Across the United States, many high schools are having to rethink the way they are currently running their foreign language programs. Many states are now requiring students in their 2014 graduating classes to have two years experience in a foreign language and many more are looking at requiring three! This has left school districts scratching their heads on how to meet these new requirements. Many smaller schools have just one foreign language they currently offer (generally Spanish), but are now struggling to figure out how to expand their offerings.

At Signing Savvy, we see this as a perfect opportunity for those who are interested in sign language to go to their school boards and ask for them to consider introducing sign language as a foreign language option to their school's curriculum. The school's administration will have to look into their own state's requirements for foreign languages. Many states do already accept sign language as a foreign language option. The administration will also have to work with the state to establish the credentials of the people who can teach the classes. In many states, teaching of sign language courses at the high school level can be done by a certified interpreter that also has a bachelor's degree or a teaching certificate.

There is no better time than now to get involved in your local school's education. We will do what we can to help you along the way, including continuing to provide a complete sign language resource that can help both students and educators in learning and teaching sign language.

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Fostering communication between school and home at the high school level

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 09:35:56 EDT

Often times when a Deaf student is at the high school level, they have been using the language for so long that they are very fluent in it and great storytellers using their language, sign language, yet they still struggle with putting that great ability into a written form. This is where this next Teacher Tip can be a helpful tool.

Most students have times where they have to do reports, such as a report on a famous person. They can do a good job at the research part, and can even tell others about all the information they have gathered and learned about the person, but converting that into written word is still a struggle. Allowing the students to put their knowledge first into a video format is very beneficial because of this. It allows the students to use sign language that is rich in dramatic expression to convey their thoughts and knowledge without limiting them to the English words that they may struggle with.

Have the students make a video first, then use the video as a guide to translate the ASL presentation into a great written paper. This idea allows for freedom to communicate in a Deaf student's own language, without stifling their creativity. It also allows a very teachable moment for you as the teacher to help translate their signed words into written expression, with the ability to start and stop and revisit if needed. The end product will be an amazing expression of the student's actual knowledge and creativity...and a lot of fun too!

Of course both the video and the paper are excellent tools to send home to help foster communication between school and home. You could even send the video home and have the parent help their child in translating the sign language into written English. That way, both the student and their parent will teach each other and learn a lot along the way.

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Link to Us

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 19:13:53 EDT

Want to link to Signing Savvy? If you think Signing Savvy is a great resource and want to recommend it to others, we would love for you to add a link to us on your website or blog!

We've created the link to us page to help make it easy for you to add a link on your website to Signing Savvy by just copying and pasting the desired code into your site. We have provided our official description, buttons for general links, plus links to our blog, the sign of the day, and specific signs. Also feel free to use any of these link images in PowerPoint or Keynote presentations or wherever you would like to....

A look at signing family members: The sign of the day theme from the last week

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 22:15:48 EDT

You may have noticed a theme across the signs of the day in the last week. We asked our Twitter followers for suggestions for the sign of the day and someone suggested we try week-long themes. Although we will not be using a theme every week for the sign of the day, we thought it was a great idea to start incorporating a theme occasionally.

We choose family members for our first sign of the day theme, from Wednesday, September 14 to Wednesday, September 21. Signing Savvy Member Tip: To see past sign of the days, view the sign of the day wordlist.

If you follow the sign of the day, we thought it would be a great learning opportunity to point out a few takeaways about the signs from the last week.

Sunday's sign of the day was MOM. For this sign, the thumb of the 5-hand taps the chin. Signing Savvy Member Tip: Take a look at the memory aid for signs to have a better understanding of the origin of signs and a way to remember them. Our memory aid for MOM explains that the lower portion of the face refers to the female gender and that's one way you can remember the sign for MOM is signed on/near your chin. If you look at the sign for FEMALE, you will see you stroke the side of your chin with the thumb of the A-hand.

DAD, which was the sign of the day on Monday, has some similar signing patterns as MOM. DAD is signed on/near the forehead and male signs are typically made on the forehead. See the sign for MALE and DAD.

GRANDMA (the first Wednesday's sign of the day) and GRANDPA are signed similarly to MOM and DAD, but with an additional movement out suggesting a generation out.

The signs for UNCLE (Thursday's sign of the day) and AUNT also follow these same gender patterns with UNCLE signed with the U-hand in a circular motion near the forehead and AUNT signed with the A-hand in a circular motion near the chin. You can easily remember the hand shape that each of these signs use because UNCLE starts with the letter "U" and uses the U-hand and AUNT starts with the letter "A" and uses the A-hand.

Now that you are starting to notice the patterns of signs, you should be able to guess the sign for NIECE (the second Wednesday's sign of the day) and NEPHEW. Both start with the letter "N" and use the N-hand in a circular motion. NIECE is signed near the chin, while NEPHEW is signed near the forehead.

COUSIN (Saturday's sign of the day) is signed using the C-hand in a circular motion close to the head -- that sign could be used for a female or a male cousin. There is also a second way to sign COUSIN where you shake your C-hand by the head instead of using a circular motion. If you wanted to specifically sign FEMALE COUSIN, do the sign by your chin, and if you want to sign MALE COUSIN, do the sign by your forehead.

The signs for SON (Tuesday's sign of the day) and DAUGHTER (Friday's sign of the day) do not follow the exact same sign pattern as the last few signs discussed. SON and DAUGHTER start like the signs for MALE and FEMALE and then transition into the sign for BABY. You can remember these signs because (regardless of age) a SON is one's MALE BABY and a DAUGHTER is someone's FEMALE BABY.

Our featured sign of the day theme of family members did not include any signs for in-laws, but there is also a pattern to be found when signing in-laws. Often it is the sign of the family member, plus the sign for LAW. See MOTHER-IN-LAW as an example.

We hope you enjoyed our first week of using a theme for the sign of the day! We will also be using a theme for the next week. We had a Twitter follower suggest the theme of emotions. Thursday, September 22 -....

Fostering communication between school and home at the middle school level

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 09:59:37 EDT

This blog is part of a series of Teaching Tips for teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students. However, many of the ideas would work well in ANY teaching situation where you are working with children and parents (families).

The last article in this series was aimed at elementary education, now it is time to move on to the Middle School age students and continue our work on literacy skills. (Remember our goal is to improve reading, writing and communication skills.)

Classroom Activity: Create a Newspaper
Grade: Middle School

This idea builds on the concept that at this age, what these kids like best is to hang out, be a part of a cool group and talk about things that are of interest to them. What better time to have them create their own newspaper!

This will allow the students to choose topics of interest to them, which hopefully will also allow them to have more comfort in their writing. Because of the high interests and feelings of confidence surrounding the topics the students will also feel more comfortable sharing this writing with others which is an important part of writing - publishing! You may need to be push the students at times to venture into areas out of their comfort zones as well, but once the ball gets rolling with a class newspaper, it will take on a life of itâ��s own.

One purpose of this project remember is to improve communication between home and school as well, so topics and articles should be something that the studentâ��s parents and families will also enjoy reading.

Example Articles could focus on:

Features about various mystery classmates (where students try to guess who is being written about)
Features about places families have traveled over their summer break
Movie Reviews
Fashion Trends
Latest Technology
Gossip about Television shows/stars
Etcâ�¦.

Once students complete their paper, have them practice a presentation of their paper at home with their parents before presenting in front of the class. This is an opportunity for the student to share sign vocabulary from their paper that maybe their parents wouldnâ��t know. There are many topics that the students would like to cover that may not be common vocabulary in their home settings and this assignment is a great opportunity to increase everyone's vocabulary at home. ....

Update to Android Mobile App

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 23:11:47 EDT

We just updated the Signing Savvy Member App on Android to version 1.2. The new app resolves an issue that was making it difficult for some users to login to the app. The issue was that Android was auto-correcting what you typed as a password (thinking it was just regular text). The updated app no longer auto-corrects (changes what you type) on the password field. We also made a few additional bug fixes in the app. If you are using the Android app, we recommend you download the update.

NOTE: The Signing Savvy Member App for Apple iOS devices (iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad) did not have the password auto-correct issue and remains unchanged at version....

Fostering communication between school and home at the elementary level

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 06:57:54 EDT

We will begin at the ground level with an elementary level suggestion for improving literacy and work our way up to other grade levels in later blogs.

This suggestion works on the basis that children learn better when they are involved in the process. They also love to talk about themselves and especially when it involves taking pictures of themselves and including them in the decision making.

Classroom activity: Transferring daily classroom events into a written form in order to promote literacy as well as teach vocabulary to parents using signs and photos.

Grade: Elementary

Supplies needed:

digital camera (or good cellphone camera)
ability to print digital photos after you take them
large white construction paper (for mounting the photos to)
Signing Savvy membership for printing and wordlist creation

Instructions:

Take photos

Begin by snapping a few photos throughout your day of different activities. Later you can even put the camera in the hands of the students and let them decide what to photograph.

Print and mount photos

Print out the photos and have them mounted on a large sheet of white construction paper ready for your "floor/circle time" (when everyone gathers together in a group and focused).

Add photo captions from students

Now add descriptions to your photos. You can do this a variety of different ways, choosing just one author, or taking suggestions from a couple students, but the point is to have the students give you captions for the activities displayed in the photographs.

This is a great way for the students to put into written language what they all just shared together as a common classroom experience. They will be making a connection between the signs used and the written words on the paper.

Students pick favorite words

Then have the STUDENTS choose five words that you have just written on the paper that they feel would be good to show their families at home the signs for. Maybe it is a word that they have not used before, or one that you will be using a lot in the class in the near future, regardless...let them help in the choosing and emphasize that THEY will need to be the teachers at home to show their families these signs and teach them how to produce them. (They love to be in that role.)

Print the signed words from Signing Savvy and add them to wordlist Then simply underline the five words they choose to focus on and print them from Signing Savvy. Add them to a shared wordlist so that the families that have memberships can refer to them and even create online flashcards or quizzes from home.

Send copies home

The five printed words are then attached to the bottom of the photo page in the space you provided and copied and sent home with the students. This can either be done using a photocopier (you may need to scale the page down to fit on a regular piece of paper) OR just taking a digital photo of the paper. In either case, you can actually create a hard copy that actually goes home everyday, OR in a digital file that is emailed. Regardless, the families become use to the fact that on a daily basis, at least 5 new signed vocabulary will be coming home from school, along with great photos of their children involved in activities at school. Parents will love it and they will see their students excited to tell them what they did at school that day and TEACH them the signs!

* I know it sounds like a lot of work but once you get into the routine of doing this on a daily basis, you will be able to do the whole process in about ten to fifteen minutes and you will wonder why you didn't do it years ago!

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Fostering communication between school and home

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 23:14:09 EDT

Many people who have worked in the field of Deaf Education have had to deal with an alarming statistic that has plagued the field for a long time. The average reading level of the exiting or graduating deaf senior is that of a 4th grader. It has fluctuated over the years but for the most part it is still much lower than any of us would care to accept.

I have heard many different explanations as to why this is the case. It may be because over 90% of our deaf children are born into hearing families, and are therefore raised in homes where sign language is not the native language of the household. (As an aside, one of Signing Savvy's goals is to help hearing family members improve their sign language communication with deaf family members.)

It may also be that the structure of education just isn't as cohesive and friendly to the deaf student as it is to the hearing student because of the mass amounts of language that a child is expected to understand and use throughout their day.

Regardless of these obstacles, we, as educators just need to do school smarter! That is, we need to do a better job at using the resources we have out there to foster the growth of a more literate student. Don't take this wrong, teachers work very hard to educate the students they have, but if we could educate them more efficiently, then we both come out looking...and being, SMARTER!

The blog articles we call Teaching Tips aim to do just that. They give you ways to look at things you may already be doing in your classrooms but adding an edge to them to take you to that next level.

We all know that one of the keys to a successful student is one that has involved, productive parents. Yet many times the parents feel very disconnected from what is happening at school. They often aren't (or don't feel) welcome in the classroom. The problem is exacerbated because the child has very little to share with their parents once they arrive home. Right away this causes a disconnect between home and school.

I want to spend the next few Teaching Tips blogs to discuss some ways to help foster communication between school and home. We will start at the elementary level and work our way up. I encourage you to comment and share your own experiences and ideas along the way. Don't look at this as just for school teachers either. Many of the ideas would work well in ANY teaching situation where you are working with children and parents (families).

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Update to Mobile Apps

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 01:46:54 EDT

There is a new version (v1.1) of the Signing Savvy Member App available now for Android devices. The new versions fixes several bugs that were in the initial release of the Android app (hopefully it greatly reduces the crashes)! The Android app also improves the interface layout if you are using an Android tablet, such as the Samsung Galaxy tab.

UPDATE - There is also a new version (v1.2) of the Signing Savvy Member App available now for Apple iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch). The new version will properly update the sign of the day without the need to logout or quit the app. The new version also fixes a bug introduced in v1.1 that made the app unresponsive.

If you are a full member, we encourage you to download the updated app! Hope you enjoy it and find it useful while you are away from your computer. If you are not yet a member, you can still use the app to view the sign of the day on your....

Creating a Deck of Printed Flash Cards

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:01:44 EDT

In my sign language teaching, I create word lists containing the vocabulary of each of my lessons. I share these word lists so my students can view it. The students can then use the online flash card and quizzing features to learn the vocabulary and better prepare themselves for the next in-class test. NOTE: If they have an Apple or Android mobile device, they can also use the flash card feature on the Signing Savvy Member App.

The online flash cards are great as you can actually view the entire motion of the sign since they are shown as videos. However, some people still prefer printed flash cards. Printed flash cards are especially useful to send home with the students. That way, the students can practice their vocabulary with their parents or siblings and everyone ends up learning!

Below is an example of some flash cards I recently created and printed.

To create these printed flash cards, I followed the steps below:

I used the Signing Savvy's word list feature to create a word list of the vocabulary lesson. Just like my previous example, I shared the word list so my students with Signing Savvy memberships could access the list.
Then I went through each sign in the word list and selected what frames I wanted to print using the Signing Savvy printing feature. You can select from one frame up to nine frames of the video to represent the sign. That is, the frames you select are the images that are printed for each sign.
Since I was creating flash cards, I selected the option to print the sign description on a separate page of paper.
Then I printed the signs. Since I had a two-sided printer, I printed front-to-back with the sign images on the front and the sign description on the back. If I only had a one-sided printer, I could have just printed two sheets and glued the two pieces of paper together.
Finally, I cut out the cards to create my deck of flash cards! If you want to get really fancy, you can print them on cardstock paper and laminate them.

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Turn an Ordinary Children's Book into a Creative Sign Language Learning Tool

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 22:55:00 EDT

Children's books are often great learning tools because they are visual, help build a child's vocabulary, and kids love them! I use them all the time in my teaching to young students. Now, with Signing Savvy and a bit of creativity, you can create a sign language version of your favorite children's books to further enhance their learning potential.

Below is an example of a very well known children's classic that has been modified to show the signs.

To create this book, all I did was:

Use the Signing Savvy's word list feature to create a word list of the words from the book. This word list is actually a shared list that anyone who is a member can access.
Then I selected the key frames of video in each sign and printed them using Signing Savvy's printing feature. You could print them on (sticky) contact paper or use a combination of regular paper and clear packing tape.
Then I cut out the print outs and stuck them in place in the book.

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Still time to tap into that summer creativity!

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 20:50:16 EDT

Teachers, I know you are all enjoying your summers and don't really want to think about "Back to School" just yet, but I thought I would take the time, over the next few blog posts, to highlight some of the cool things you can do....

Move Complete

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 18:22:14 EDT

Everything now should be transitioned to the new server and working (both the website and iOS and Android mobile apps). The update should increase performance and overall make Signing Savvy a bit more snappy.

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Moving Day Approaches

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 12:32:33 EDT

We will be moving Signing Savvy to a new server this weekend. This may cause the site to be inaccessible for several hours. In reality, the transition should be much quicker (a few hours). We will begin the process late Friday evening when not many are relying on the site to minimize the downtime.

Once the transition is complete, the new server will provide increased performance and a more reliable service for you.

NOTE: The move will also benefit the Signing Savvy Mobile App.

UPDATE (Saturday-Morning): We are in the process of moving the site right now. Some features may not work as we work through the move. Everything should be working again by Sunday at the latest.

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Signing Savvy Member App Now on Android

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 12:12:51 EDT

We have been working hard on the Android version of the Signing Savvy Member App to make it as feature rich as its iOS counterpart. Well, we are happy to announce that version 1.0 of the Android version is now available!

Just like the iOS version, the Android version of the Signing Savvy Member App is free for full members of Signing Savvy (available on the Android Market for Android 1.6 and newer devices). Just like the website, the app includes the ability to search for and view thousands of high-quality sign videos, build your own vocabulary word lists and share them with other members, view other members shared word lists, create virtual flash cards out of word lists to practice your signing, and much more ... all in a streamlined mobile interface.

If you are a full member of Signing Savvy, you can login to the app and use all of its features. If you are not yet a full member, you can still use this free app to view the Signing Savvy Sign of the Day on your mobile device.

Signing Savvy Member App Available for iOS Devices

Tue, 17 May 2011 01:25:16 EDT

After a great deal of work, we are happy to announce that version 1.0 of the Signing Savvy Member App is now available for Apple iOS mobile devices (iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch)!

The Signing Savvy Member App is free for full members of Signing Savvy (available on the Apple App Store). Just like the website, the app includes the ability to search for and view thousands of high-quality sign videos, build your own vocabulary word lists and share them with other members, view other members shared word lists, create virtual flash cards out of word lists to practice your signing, and much more ... all in a streamlined mobile interface.

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