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From:
Valerie Sutton Date: Sun Nov 15, 1998 3:25 pm Subject: Re: intoduction | |
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> Hello! my name is Kelly Read and I am new to the list and thought I >would introduce myself. Currently I am taking ASL 4 at Riverside >Community College in Riverside California. I was searching for ideas for a >topic for my end of the year presentation when I found this web sight. >I hadn't heard much about signwriting before, although I had seen it >somewhere (I don'tt remember where). I thought it would be an >interesting topic for my presentation. As I have read more about >signwriting, however, I have a feeling I will take it a lot farther. I >think it is a wonderful idea! I fell involve with ASL. I have really >enjoyed studding the grammar and structure of it and agree that >signwriting will help preserve asl literature, history, and hopefully >increase literacy in deaf children. I have ordered some books from the >web-sight and hopefully I am on my way to becoming a signwriter myself. > best wishes, kelly post to all _________________________________ November 15, 1998 Hello Kelly! What a nice introduction. Welcome to the SignWriting List :-) I was telling the List last week that, at the moment, all of our SignWriting materials are produced and shipped by me....thus your Lessons In SignWriting Textbook, which you ordered last week, was just shipped yesterday. Sorry for the delay! But things are changing around here, and I feel very encouraged. We are starting to receive an increase in special book orders from bookstores, from individuals who have heard of SignWriting and want to find a book on it in the bookstore. At the moment none of our SW books are available in bookstores, so people are now starting to request special orders through them. Where do the bookstores find out about us? On the web! Of course the sales are still very small, but I feel hopeful it may build. This means a lot, because book sales will bring in the needed income to be able to continue the SignWriting Literacy Project. As you know, participating schools in the Literacy Project receive donated books and videos. So it is very important for us to raise funds to keep the Literacy Project free for schools. Another development...we have a new school system officially participating in 1999, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I believe two mainstreaming schools from the Albuquerque Public School District will be learning SignWriting in the Spring semester, 1999. I will be posting their confirmation letter, and more information about this, at a later date. And we have a list of schools asking for information about the SignWriting Literacy Project. When I first began the project in January, 1998, I had no idea there would be interest. It took time to develop the books and materials, and to work out details with the participating teachers. The Fall 1998 semester was the first official semester of the project. After I shipped off all of the donated materials to the schools back in August and September, I had to decide what to do...Did we want to continue with the project? But now that we have had such positive feedback, both private and public, I have decided to focus on keeping the project going for the next decade. That is a dedication of my love and time, since I am not paid to run the project. But I think it is worthwhile and I am glad to do it - in fact I feel very fortunate to be able to contribute to society. And I hope all of you will continue to help me slowly build toward the goal of testing Sign Language Literacy in the schools. I know, as a bilingual person (English-Danish), that it would have been very difficult for me to learn to read and write my second language, Danish, before learning to read and write my first language, English. And yet we ask this of native signing children daily. They must learn to read and write English, but it is their second language...and on top of that...they can't hear their second language. And their first language, a signed language, until now, had no way to be written...so placing written signs and written words on a page side by side may be very helpful. Of course, that is the point of the SW Lliteracy Project...to test that concept and then publish the feedback from the teachers, to see if there is merit in the idea. My dear Mom is visiting from Florida right now, and will be leaving on Wednesday :-( So I feel a little torn between work and visiting with my family. But I will try to post our new Lesson Online tomorrow as scheduled. I will announce it when the posting is ready. Have a wonderful Sunday everyone - Valerie :-) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Valerie Sutton at the DAC Deaf Action Committee for SW SignWriting https://www.SignWriting.org Center For Sutton Movement Writing an educational nonprofit organization Box 517, La Jolla, CA, 92038-0517, USA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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