Computer graphics representing the alphabet used by deaf persons for manual communication were used in the FINGEX experiment, which measured Ss' ability to read fingerspelled sentences at different rates of speed, and in the CONFUS experiment, which measured similarities between fingerspelled characters by assessing confusion caused by rapid character presentation. In the FINGEX experiment, six hearing Ss who knew the manual alphabet completed 21 sessions in which they chose the best of four words to complete 40 sentences fingerspelled on the display. Results indicated that the Ss performed better at the 1.3 character per second (cps) rate than at the 1 cps rate, that performance at the 2 cps rate was almost as good as performance at slower rates, and that large gains over the training period at the 4 cps rate might have reflected delays between sessions and differences in Ss' fingerspelling ability. In the CONFUS experiment, 3 deaf and 12 hearing Ss completed 31 sessions, each lasting approximately 10 minutes, in which each fingerspelled character was randomly presented five times for 50 milliseconds. Disappearance of each character was accompanied by noise. The time between the noise pattern and the Ss' typing of the character corresponding to the character on the display was measured. Results indicated that object confusions within character clusters were high (such as in the cluster composed of S, N, T, and A, which differ in thumb position only), and that confusions between clusters were low. Overall results implied that the computer-generated alphabet was a useful tool for teaching fingerspelling and for obtaining empirical measures of character similarity. (MC)