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From:
Valerie Sutton Date: Fri Feb 9, 2001 3:57 pm Subject: Sign Writing for the severely mentally retarded | |
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February 9, 2001 SignWriting List Denise and Everyone - I am reposting the letter below from a school in North Carolina. It is an interesting letter to read, because there is such a diverse group of Deaf students in their school district - All with unique and special needs. They have already had success with SignWriting with a mentally disabled student...which you may be interested in, Denise.... October 12, 2000 From: Union Pines High School Union Church Road Cameron, North Carolina, 28326 Dear Valerie: The Program for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing from Moore County Schools, North Carolina, would like to participate in your SignWriting Literacy Project. As the assistant principal for the high school, I will serve as the administrator for this project. Both Mrs. Homesley and Thompson are here everyday, which will help us to communicate with each other on the progress that is being made utilizing SignWriting. Mrs. Homesley will share with me the activities happening at her other two schools as well. Presently, we (the county) serve eleven students at three different schools (elementary, middle and high). We have four full-time interpreters (We are presently looking for one to two more interpreters (any suggestions?).) and one full-time itinerant teacher. Out of the eleven, six require the services of interpreters. One out of the six is also mentally disabled. Nine are presently on the diploma track. One student has not been placed on a track yet, due to his young age/grade. At the elementary school, there is one first grader. He is oral, but we would like to see if SignWriting helps him with reading. (He repeated kindergarten and is still not ready for first grade.). At the middle school level, there are two deaf students - one is in the seventh and one is in the eighth. They each have a full-time interpreter. Both students use English as their signing system. The high school has seven deaf and hard-of-hearing students. One is in the ninth grade. She is deaf and signs American Sign Language (ASL) fluently. There are four tenth graders. Three are hard-of-hearing and one is deaf. The two hard-of-hearing students are oral and do not sign. The one that is deaf, signs ASL and is mentally disabled. The last two students are in the eleventh grade, deaf, and require the services of interpreters. Their signing system is English. All of the aforementioned students have difficulty with reading comprehension, except for three of the tenth graders (hard of hearing). The low receptive and expressive vocabulary stems from very little prior knowledge to the information being presented. Their language base does not have a strong foundation. One reason for this could be that from all of the students that require services from an interpreter at school, only one has a parent that signs to her. Another student (at the middle school) has an aunt that is an interpreter with our school system. They just have not had the necessary explosure (in the air, on paper, in conversation,...) to the written word, for it to be meaningful. Two members (teacher and interpreter) of the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Program are interested in participating in your project. One of these members has already introduced some of the students to SignWriting and that is how the other member became interested. These staff members are interested in learning and using SignWriting because of the initial success the deaf-mentally disabled student has had so far. This success has warranted a closer look at what SignWriting has to offer the other deaf and hard-of-hearing students as well. We agree, as a group, to complete three Web Reports in return for the SignWriting materials and technical support you will donate to us. We understand that this letter and all three reports will become public information and will be posted to the SignWriting Email List and posted on the SignWriting Web Site. You have our permission to use the information as needed. Please send SignWriting materials for two staff members (teacher and interpreter), and for seven students. Thank you for considering us for your project. Sincerely, Lisa Akers Assistant Principal Robin H. Homesley Teacher of the Deaf Donna Thompson Lead Interpreter |
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