SignWriting List Forum

From: Stefan Woehrmann
Date: Mon Jun 19, 2000 4:06 pm
Subject: Re: SIGN WRITING

Hello Robin.

welcome aboard.

Yes - SW is a wonderfull tool to help students to understand what is meant by "reading" and "writing ".

There is one girl in my class who has had a really hard time . Being at school for almost three years now she is unable to write and read more than 15 words !

But with the help of SW - she starts to improve. This week we are learning a lot of new names of memorycards. I printed the names on cards in written German and at the bottom I printed the SW - sign.

Now she has no problem at all to find the cards- to ask another student to fetch a card. To look for a special card that I ask her to look for ....

Now I´m going to minimize the seize of the SW -sign .. It´s 0,8 cm right now - you wouldn´t believe how small it looks like - next to the written word. But - she has no problem to "read the whole card "

So slowly fading out the SW - signs for these words - I hope to get her to identify the written words.

It´s a beginning - I know - but you should see her eyes !! Cecilia knows - what I´mtalking about. Am I right ???

All the best

Stefan ;-)

----- Original Message -----

From: Robin Homesley

To: SW-L@ADMIN.HUMBERC.ON.CA

Sent: Sunday, June 18, 2000 3:02 PM

Subject: SIGN WRITING

HELLO ! I TEACH THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM IN NORTH CAROLINA. BEING ITINERANT (AT LEAST I ONLY HAVE THREE SCHOOLS), I HAVE TO BE ABLE TO DELIVER QUALITY SERVICE(S) WITH MINIMAL MATERIALS. ALSO, MY STUDENTS HAVE DIFFERENT NEEDS.

FOR EXAMPLE: WE HAVE ONE INTERPRETER THAT IS OUR "SIGN WRITING QUEEN." SHE HAS HAD SUCH GREAT SUCCESS WITH TWO OF MY STUDENTS THAT I AM A BELIEVER (NOW I PLAN TO TAKE THE LESSONS TO IMPROVE MY SKILLS TOO). ONE OF THESE TWO STUDENTS IS MENTALLY DISABLED AND IS PROFOUNDLY DEAF. SHE IS 15 YEARS OLD. SHE CAN READ LESS THAN 25 WRITTEN ENGLISH WORDS (NOT BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT WORKED ON THIS EITHER). HOWEVER, WHEN STORIES AND QUESTIONS ARE PRESENTED IN SIGN WRITING, SHE CAN READ THE STORIES AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS. SHE CAN "INTERPRET" THE SIGN WRITING BETTER THAN ME. WOW ! THIS IS THE ONE STUDENT THAT I HAVE NOT HAD ANY MAJOR READING SUCCESS WITH UNTIL SIGN WRITING. MY OTHER STUDENTS DO IT FOR FUN (SEND "CODED" NOTES TO THEIR FRIENDS,...).

I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO GOING ON THIS JOURNEY MYSELF WHEN SCHOOL STARTS UP IN AUGUST.

I HAVE TO SHOW PROOF OF SUCCESS TO MY ADMINISTRATORS IN ORDER TO HAVE THEIR FULL ENDORSEMENT WHEN I ORDER MATERIALS. SO PLEASE SEND ANY DOCUMENTATION, INFORMATION,... TO HELP ME TO ORDER THE THINGS I NEED.

THANKS!

ROBIN