What Is The SignWriting Literacy Project?

The SignWriting Literacy Project is pioneering a new concept in Deaf Education. SignWriting books, videos and software are donated to classes of Deaf students. In return, teachers, students and parents provide documented feedback. The results are published on the SignWriting Web Site and in an annual SignWriting Literacy Project Report, distributed to educators.

SignWriting is a way to read, write and type any signed language. All materials donated to the schools are written in American Sign Language (ASL), authored by Deaf native ASL signers. An English translation of the original ASL is included with most publications. The SignWriting videos are taught in ASL with English voice-over. Fluency in reading and writing American Sign Language is used as a bridge to teach written English. Although this is a new project, feedback is already coming in, and the results are positive.

The project began in 1998. Participating schools are the Albuquerque Public Schools in New Mexico; the Algonquin Middle School in Averill Park, New York; Caldwell Elementary School in Kansas, Jordan Vocational High School in Georgia, Robarts School for the Deaf in Canada, Texas School for the Deaf, Lower School in Austin, Texas, a private tutor with a class of Deaf students in Canada, and two homeschools in the USA.

Would you like your school to participate? Your students must be Deaf signers, with some knowledge of American Sign Language.

If your school is located in a country that does not use American Sign Language, and you are willing to translate the materials into your signed language in SignWriting, we will be happy to help you as much as possible. It is a large job, but well worth it!


Write for more information:

Deaf Action Committee for SignWriting
Center For Sutton Movement Writing
an educational nonprofit organization
P.O. Box 517, La Jolla, CA, 92038-0517, USA

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