Observation study of a profoundly deaf person led to the conclusion that finger spelling and universal sign language could link deaf and hearing cultures. The complex and rewarding modality of finger spelling warrants further research as a cross-cultural communication medium. (SK)

The educational unit on deafness for hearing students was developed by the Alberta (Canada) School for the Deaf and covers: (1) an introduction to deafness (covering types of hearing loss, causes of deafness, misconceptions and clarifications, and the programs of the Alberta School for the Deaf); (2) famous deaf Canadians; (3) a quiz on the deaf…

Reviews several experiments which examined the cognitive function of finger writing, an activity widely used by Japanese people and thought to be related to Kanji learning. Children and university students performed either Kanji anagram tasks or English word tasks. Finger writing appears to originate from the existence of motoric or action-based…

Aerial spelling is the term given for the way many people with deafness in New Zealand (NZ) manually represent letters of the alphabet. This article examines the nature and role of aerial spelling in New Zealand Sign Language, particularly that form used by older members of the NZ deaf community. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Just as minority spoken languages borrow from surrounding majority languages, so British Sign Language (BSL) borrows signs from English. BSL may borrow from both spoken and written English, but here we focus on the processes involved in borrowing from the written English word, using the manual alphabet. The end result of borrowing depends on an…

This sign language manual, intended to help St. Lucia parents teach language to and communicate with their deaf or hard-of-hearing children, is prefaced by a child's description of living with a deaf sibling. An introduction discusses symptoms of hearing loss, defines speech and language, traces general expectations at school, and touches briefly…

Deaf children come from all races, classes, and backgrounds, but as a group they have a hard time learning to read and write. The more hearing a child has, the better the child performs on tests of reading ability. Parents who can communicate well with their deaf children help them to perform well at school, but beyond "good"…