Right: Deaf students Jerrdon & Stephanie, at Chaparral Elementary School in Albuquerque, show some of the SignWriting books
they are reading in class.

Interviews with Deaf Students

What do the kids think?

Cecilia Flood
asks her students....

Desi Baca responds to the question about learning SignWriting: (after a brief explanation regarding the Silent News article, wanting more information about her opinion about SignWriting...she signs quite big... "Famous"!

"FUN" and " My favorite thing is to learn"...but 'it's kinda hard, but Cecilia Flood teaches us and we learn. ...it will be hard for hearing people but if you study then you will learn it. Asked if she thought it will be hard for deaf people... (strong emphatic head shake, no) "easy for deaf people" The same for hearing people?..."No, not quite that easy for hearing people".

Asked about what we use to learn to read and write signs.. Desi responds.." I like the sign for CAT (CF, name sign for me, Cecilia Flood) "CF showed me on the computer. We use the three bears book". Asked if she remembered the ASL version on videotape... Desi responds..."Yeah, we did the play in Cf's office". She adds a comment about using the SW computer. She signs a strong..."I admit I like to use the computer..FUN to make up stories and it is beautiful". Asked to clarify what is beautiful... Desi Responds by taking the instructional manual with photo frames of the narrator and the SignWriting signs illustrated in color. She points to the symbols and signs... "I like (points)..its beautiful". Asked who she is learning SW with...Desi names all the adults present during SW sessions but excludes the other classmates. When asked to clarify again who she is learning with.. Desi responds...'I learn myself in my mind' Asked what her favorite SW activity has been so far... Desi responds...'my favorite computer and coloring and drawing' (pointing to the illustrations in the SignWriting coloring book).

Jazmine Martinez responds to the question about learning SW:

"puzzled expression"...asking for clarification...'you mean How SignWriting...what for?' Getting an affirmative head nog...Jazmine responds quite simply...'for writing'.

Jazmine lists materials used to learn to read and write signs:

"three bears, computer..." Asked about the videotape Goldilocks...Jazmine slows down her articulation of 'SIGN' indicating the 'performance' aspect of the videotaped story.

Jazmine names all the SW participants starting with CF then all her classmates.

Jazmine comments about the computer..."I like computer...its easy". "use the computer to look for signs, when you find it, you check the box, correct'.

Interviewer reminds Jazmine of the occasion when she found the sign for 'girl'. She attended to the recalled incident and giggled some more..commenting 'Girl...yes...you right'! She demonstrated some other signs she found using the SignWriter dictionary...'bug', 'cat'. When asked which pronunciation she chose for cat..one handed or two handed..Jazmine responded matter of factly..."one....Cat".

Jazmine's comment about her favorite SW activity... "my favorite sign book...different....at home. I sit and look at the signs and then write the word....work long time in my room when my mom goes to the store".