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Stephen
E Slevinski, Jr.
Software
Developer
Stephen E. Slevinski is the developer of the open standards
for SignWriting Software since 2004 to present, working
together with SignWriting inventor Valerie Sutton to
create software used by signwriters around the world
in all the world's sign languages.
Slevinski's software includes:
Binary
SignWriting (BSW)
IMWA
Convert Package to ISWA
SignMaker Add signs to SignWriting dictionaries
SignPuddle
Online, Read & Write Documents & Dictionaries
On Web
SignPuddle
PersonalPuddle, SignPuddle Desktop Server
SignPuddle
PocketPuddle, SignPuddle Server on a USB Stick
SignPuddle
Servers for Networks
SignText for creating SignWriting documents
SignWriting
Image Server (SWIS)
SignWriting
MediaWiki Plugin (SWMP) for Wikipedias in SignWriting
Modern SignWriting Encoding Specification
ASL Wikipedia Project on Wikimedia Labs
Steve Slevinski is the first in history to program important
grammatical elements of the SignWriting script that
had never been accomplished before, including writing
in vertical columns with lanes, a unique grammar requirement
for writing Sign Language Literature properly. In 2009-2012,
Slevinski did important work with encoding the International
SignWriting Alphabet (ISWA 2008 & 2010), first, with his Binary
SignWriting (BSW), and later with his new Modern SignWriting Encoding Specification, which is a model for the structure
of character encoding in SignWriting. Modern SignWriting
is a "Character Encoding Model".
Steve Slevinski's latest triumph, in August 2012, is the successful launch of his SignWriting MediaWiki Plugin, used to post the first test ASL Wikipedia on a Wikimedia Labs server, the forerunner to a future ASL Wikipedia. Without Steve's software, a Wikipedia written in the facial expressions, hand symbols and movement arrows of the SignWriting script would not be possible. The SW MediaWiki Plugin gives this unusual, visual writing system an environment that makes writing and posting articles possible on the web.
History Before 2004
Steve Slevinski graduated from Grove City College, Grove
City, Pennsylvania in 1994, with a BS degree in Mathematics,
thereafter working for the New York State Education
Department in 1994 and 1995 as a Senior Computer Programmer
/ Analyst.
In 1996 Slevinski started with Danet Inc; a Telecommunications
Integrator and a US subsidiary of Danet GmbH out of
Germany. From 1996 till 1998, he worked in the Technical
Services business unit in a Windows, Unix, and Oracle
environment. Steve performed manual and automated testing
including module testing, integration testing, system
testing, and acceptance testing, working closely with
customers and programmers to help debug problems encountered
in production environments. Steve created custom applications
to aid in his role in the technical services business
unit.
1999-2002, Steve was promoted to a systems engineer
working on the internal systems. He was responsible
for improving the overall quality of the project administration
and management information systems, working closely
with managers, project managers, accounting, human resources,
sales, and executives to enhance and integrate the diverse
information technology used within the company.
In 2003, Steve discovered SignWriting on the internet
and attempted to start a non-profit organization called
Pittsburgh United for Deaf Literacy (PUDL). Steve developed
his own PUDL software for SignWriting, feeling strongly
that literacy is important for everyone and that SignWriting
is the key to literacy for Sign Language users.
In 2004, Valerie Sutton learned about Slevinski's PUDL
software for SignWriting, which later became known as
"SignPuddle" Software, and invited him to
work as a consultant for the Center for Sutton Movement
Writing. That was the beginning of the Sutton-Slevinski
collaboration. Steve Slevinski and Valerie Sutton work
together daily, providing tech support to SignWriting
software users, and expanding current software.
History
2008-2009
In 2008, Steve
started pushing for more stable and open standards.
Val and Steve worked closely to finalize the ISWA
2008, subsequently released under the Open Font
License. The SignWriting
Image Server beta was released under the GPL. The
foundational ideas of Binary SignWriting were being
developed.
History
2010-2012
Steve replaced his work on Binary
SignWriting with his his new Modern SignWriting Encoding Specification, which is a model for the structure
of character encoding in SignWriting. Modern SignWriting
is a "Character Encoding Model". This lead to the successful launch of his SignWriting MediaWiki Plugin, used to post the first test ASL Wikipedia on a Wikimedia Labs server, the forerunner to a future ASL Wikipedia.
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