15 Principles for Reading to Deaf Children

15 Principle for Reading to Deaf Children

1. Translate stories using America Sign Language

2. Keep both languages (ASL and English) visible

3. Elaborate on the text

4. Follow the child's lead

5. Make what is implied explicit

6. Adjust sign placement to fit the story

7. Adjust signing style to fit the character

8. Connect concepts in the story to the real world

9. Use attention maintenance strategies

10. Use eye gaze to elicit participation

11. Engage in role play to extend concepts

12. Use ASL variations to sign repetitive English phrases

13. Provide a positive and reinforcing environment

14. Expect the child to become literate

15. Deaf readers are not constrained by the text

Literacy Website on Principle for Reading to Deaf Children
http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/Literacy/srp/15princ.html

Teaching LIteracy/Reading to Deaf Children

Literacy Resources for Teaching Deaf Children

http://deafness.about.com/od/literacy/a/deafliteracy.htm

Educational Enhancement for the Field of Deaf Education

http://www.deafed.net/

Reading to Deaf Children: bonding, Communication, Literacy Development

http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/Products/Perspectives/may-jun99/ainsworth.html

Research on Adults Reading to Deaf Children

http://clercblog.gallaudet.edu/srpblog/2006/05/research-on-adults-reading-to-deaf.html

Reading and Deaf Children article

http://www.readingonline.org/articles/loeterman/index.html

Young Children and their Families

These resources are for very young children, from birth to 5 years old. Children start learning almost from birth, and what they learn as young children has a huge impact on their future success in school and in life!



What is a "family-centered" program?

It is important for families to be involved in their children's education. As a parent, you know your son or daughter best! The more parents are involved, the better children do in school. Programs for deaf or hard of hearing children should recognize the important role of families.

This list explains to professionals why parent involvement is so important.
5 Reasons Why Professionals Need to Listen to Parents

This research study examines how parental involvement leads to higher achievement for young children.
Parent Involvement

This paper explains WHY and HOW families and schools can work together effectively.
Family-School Relationships



Learning two languages

Your young deaf or hard of hearing child CAN learn two (or more!) languages, including your native language and the signed language in your area. Children all over the world grow up learning to use two or more languages at home, school, and in their communities. Sometimes people are concerned that deaf children will be confused by learning more than one language, but research shows that bilingualism is beneficial for all children.

This paper discusses how ASL can be used to teach English literacy with preschoolers.
Becoming Bilingual

This paper discusses making the decision of which language(s) to use with your child.
A First Language - Whose Choice Is It?

This article addresses some of the concerns about young children who learn two languages, and explains why bilingualism is NOT harmful for young children.
Delay and Confusion



Communicating visually

Even if your child learns to listen and speak, it is important to use visual communication strategies, which includes more than just signing.

This research study provides suggestions for communicating visually.
Visual Conversations

This article includes tips from deaf mothers on communicating with young children.
Making Every Sign Count



Advice for parents

These are responses from parents in a large survey of families with deaf or hard of hearing children.
Parent to Parent

This article, written by a parent with a deaf daughter, discusses building self-esteem.
Building a Strong Foundation

Bilingualism in International Deaf Education

Bilingualism in Deaf Education:

The emerging use of bilingual/bicultural approach in Deaf Education has taken its ripple effects across the world. With its history of oralism, the use of sign language only, cued speech, and total communication; the outcomes of deaf childrens’ reading and writing levels remained lower than their hearing counterparts. Research documents has shown that deaf children in bilingual/bicultural Deaf Education Programs performed significantly better than those who were restricted in using the oral, sign language only, cued speech, or total communication approaches.

Since its introduction to the international community, not every country has an established Bilingual/Bicultural Deaf Education Program, but the concept has generated new possibilities in researching this in the regions’ deaf education. Here is a resource list divided into several regions: Latin America, Europe/Eurasia, Asia, and Africa with different categories that follows: established Bilingual Deaf Programs, Researches on Bilingualism in Deaf Education, and at the end with resource information pertaining bilingualism.

Latin America:

Mexico:

Established Bilingual Deaf Programs-

Pedagogical Institute for Problems of Language I.A.P. (IPPLIAP)

Spanish version: http://www.ippliap.edu.mx/quienes-somos.html
English version: http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/tr

Instituto Rosendo Olleta (IRO)

Spanish version:
http://www.libreacceso.org/instituto_rosendo.html
English version: http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/tr

Tessera -elementary and preschool in Mexico City (website unable to find)

Centro Clotet- middle and high school in Mexico City (website unable to find)

CAM 6-Cuernavaca, a governmental school which has a bilingual program and a strong advocate for bilingual education (website unable to find)

Chile:

Jorge Otto School for the Deaf-Santiago, Chile

Spanish version: http://www.institutodelasordera.cl/escuela.htm
English version: http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/tr

Colombia

Instituto Nacional para Sordos (INSOR), a Colombian Department of Education that provides bilingual education for young deaf children:

Spanish version: http://www.insor.gov.co/phum/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=
English version: http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/trurl_pagecontent?lp=es_en&trurl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.insor.gov.co%2fphum%2findex.php%3foption%3dcom_content%26task%3dview%26id%3d12%26Itemid%3d


Researches on Bilingualism in Latin America’s Deaf Education-

“Bilingual Deaf Education in the South of Brazil”, Carolos Skliar and Ronice Muller Quadros:

http://www.multilingual-matters.net/beb/007/0368/beb0070368.pdf

“From Integration to Bi-Cultural Education: A Mexican Experience”, Norma Del Rio, Hector Garcia, Noe Romero, Guadalupe Diaz Rangel, Rosa Ma. Lares:

http://www.idcs.info/docs/Integration_to_bicultural_education_mexico.pdf

Europe/Eurasia:

Established Bilingual Deaf Programs-

Sweden:

Birgittaskolan School for the Deaf:
http://www.spm.se/skolor/birgittaskolan/inenglish.4.31c9e28c1109c7606ff800042383.html

Kristinaskolan School for the Deaf:
http://www.spm.se/skolor/kristinaskolan/inenglish.4.3a01ec36110115bf6cd80008032.html

Manillaskolan School for the Deaf:
http://www.bi.spm.se/ovrigt/english/aboutthemanillaschool.106.31c9e28c1109c7606ff800034414.html

Ostervangskolan School for the Deaf:
http://www.bi.spm.se/ovrigt/english/abouttheostervangschool.106.31c9e28c1109c7606ff800034411.html

Norway:

Bjorkasen School for the Deaf:
http://www.bjorkasen.no/engelsk.html

Finland:

Merikartano (the School for the Hearing Impaired in Oulu):
http://www.merikartano.fi/english/

England:

Doncaster School for the Deaf:
http://www.deaf-school.com/language-communication.html

Royal School for the Deaf:
http://www.rsd-derby.org/

Ireland:
Model School for the Deaf Project:
http://indigo.ie/~msdp/

Spain:

Tres Pins Elementary School, Barcelona Spain
Catalan version: http://www.bcn.es/trespins

Russia:

Moscow Bilingual Deaf School Association:
English version: http://www.mbdsa.org.uk/

Researches on Bilingualism in Europe and Eurasia’s Deaf Education-

“Bilingualism-a Future Asset in Deaf Education”, Arnfinn Muruvik Vonen:
http://www.statped.no/nyUpload/Moduler/Statped/Enheter/Sk%C3%A5dalen/Filer/SIRC7%20presentation%20Arnfinn%20.pdf

“Projekte”, Dr. Carolina Plaza Pust:
http://www.uni-frankfurt.de/fb/fb10/KogLi/Lehrstuhl_Leuninger/Psycholinguistik/Projekte.html

“Language Ideologies, Discriminatory Practices and the Deaf Community in Hungary”, Csilla Bartha:
http://www.lingref.com/isb/4/015ISB4.PDF

“Vygotsky, Sign Language, and the Education of Deaf Pupils”, Galina Zaitseva, Michael Pursglove, and Susan Gregory:
http://jdsde.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/4/1/9

“Education of Deaf Students in Spain: Legal and Educational Politics Developments”, Maria del Pilar Fernandez-Viader and Mariana Fuentes:
http://jdsde.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/9/3/327

Africa:

Established Bilingual Programs for the Deaf-

None at this rate.

Researches on Bilingualism in Africa’s Deaf Education-

“Emergent Approaches towards Sign Bilingualism in Deaf Education in Kenya”, Peter Oracha Adoyo:
http://www.univie.ac.at/ecco/stichproben/Nr3_OrachaAdoyo.pdf

“Effectiveness of the Application of the Principles of the ASL/English Bilingual Philosophy in the Pedagogy in Deaf Education in Africa”, Godwin Irokaba:
http://www.pfi.uio.no/konferanse/LEA2006/assets/docs/Irokaba_paper.pdf

Australia:

Established Bilingual Programs for the Deaf-

This link contains a list of all services provided for the deaf in Australia including a list of all Bilingual Deaf Education Programs:
http://www.users.fl.net.au/~aad/info/products.php

Researches on Bilingualism in Australia’s Deaf Education-

“Adopting Bilingual Education: An Australian School Community’s Journey”, Linda Komesaroff:
http://jdsde.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/6/4/299

“Deaf Culture’s Impact on Educational Programs for the Deaf in Australia”, John Paterson:
http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/14/86/76.pdf


Asia:

Established Bilingual Programs for the Deaf-

China has bilingual deaf programs established in the following regions:
Jiangsu
Sichuan
Guizhou
Kunming
Hefei
Nanjing
*Unfortunately, I was not able to locate any of these participating schools’ websites or contact information at this time*

Researches on Bilingualism in Asia’s Deaf Education-

“Developing Bilingual Education for Deaf Children in China”, Ms. Wu An’an, Dr. Alison Callaway, and Mr. Pete Makey:
http://www.idcs.info/docs/Developing_bilingual_education_for_deaf_children_china.pdf

“A Bilingual and Bicultural Approach to Teaching Deaf Children in China”, Cassie Briggs:
http://www.unicef.org/china/Bi_Bi_Book_by_Cassie_04_ENG.pdf

“’China Sign” Developing Sign Bilingual Provision for Young Deaf Children in China”, Mr. Peter Makey:
http://www.idcs.info/docs/ChinaSign_Pete_Makey_Jan_01.pdf

“SigAm Bilingual Deaf Education Project”:
http://www.amityfoundation.org/page.php?page=1687

“Filipino Sign Language in Deaf Education: Deaf and Hearing Perspectives”, Marie Therese A.P. Bustos and Rowella B. Tanjusay:
http://web.kssp.upd.edu.ph/linguistics/plc2006/papers/FullPapers/V-5_Bustos-Tanjusay.pdf

Books/Resources on Bilingual/Bicultural Deaf Education:

Global Perspectives on the Education of the Deaf in Selected Countries. Hillsboro, Oregon: Butte Publications, 1999.

The Deaf Way: Perspectives from the International Conference on Deaf Culture. Washington, D.C.: Gallaudet University Press, 1994.

Bilingual Bicultural Deaf Education, http://www.ccsdeaf.com/bibi.html

Seen and Not Heard, Weekend Standard China Newspaper: http://www.thestandard.com.hk/stdn/std/Weekend/GB26Jp01.html

Leonie Wins Churchill Fellowship, Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children: http://www.ridbc.org.au/news/pr.asp?id=247

Stewart, David A. The Opinions of the Adult Deaf Community Towards Methods of Communication in the Education of Deaf Children. Ottawa, Canada: National Library of Canada, 1985.

Davies, Shawn N. The Transition Toward Bilingual Education of Deaf Children in Sweden and

Denmark: Perspectives on Language. Washington, D.C: Gallaudet Research Institute, 1991.

Davies, Shawn N. Bilingual Education of Deaf Children in Sweden and Denmark: Strategies for Transition and Implementation. Washington, D.C.: Gallaudet Research Institute, 1991.

Akach, Philemon A.O., Mweri, George, & Hempel, Lene. East African Sign Language Seminar: Karen, Nairobi, Kenya 24th-28th August 1992: Sign Language in Education of the Deaf. Danish Deaf Association, 1992.

Ferreira Brito, Lucinda. Integração Um Social Educação de Surdos.
Janero, Brasil: Babel Editora, 1993.

Ahlgren, Inger, Hyltenstam, Kenneth. Bilingualism in Deaf Education. Hamburg, Germany: Signum, 1994.

Deshmukh, Dilip. Sign Language and Bilingualism in Deaf Education. Maharashtra, India: Mrs. Ranjana Deshmukh, 1997.

Vestberg, Palle. Educating the Deaf in Denmark. Copenhagen: Danish Deaf Association, 1997.

Grosjean, Francois. The Right of the Deaf Child to Grow Up Bilingual. Switzerland: University of Neuchatel and Gallaudet University, 2002.

Bilingual Applications for Deaf Education; Multiple Disabilities

Websites:



http://www.wfdeaf.org/: This website is designed by the World Federation of the Deaf, an international non-governmental organization designed for 70 million Deaf people worldwide; the establishment of the website is largely due to the fact that more than 80 percent of the 70 million people live in developing countries. WFD has been recognized by United Nations as their represenative organization; it has been working with the UN to become a spokes-organization to promote the human rights of the Deaf populations. Additional information is provided through a clear framework and accessible template that is user-friendly and concise.



http://www.idcs.info/legal_notices/disclaimer_.html : This website was designed by the International Deaf Children's Society (IDCS) and it provides a series of links on the left side of the frontpage, they are as follows; 1) About IDCS, 2) Regional Programmes, 3) Small Grant Programmes, 4) Childhood Deafness, 5) Resource Library, 6) Real Lives, 7) Schools' Network, 8) News & Events, 9) How You can Help. Then there is an efficient search engine at the bottom of the links that efficiently searches the website on relevant topics about the various Deaf communities and educational programs from an international perspective. In addition, there is a link at the top of the website designed exclusively for a directory search for specific countries and/or interest areas as well as an opportunity for an organization to become a member of IDCS.



http://handson.org/deaflinks.html: This website was created by a Hands On project and it includes a comprensive list of links that includes resource list for Deaf children, Deaf school programs in the United States and the Deaf schools internationally under the Deaf Community Web links section. The next sections are as follows; Art and Cultural Links, Colleges and Universities for the Deaf Links, Interpreting Links, International Organizations Links, International & National Sports Organizations Links, Media and Communication Links, Miscellaneous Links, Nationwide Organizations/Information, New York City Area Deaf Community Links, Relay Links, Resources for Children Links, US Schools for the Deaf Links, and Schools Outside of United States Links.



http://www.deaflinx.com/DeafEd/specialneeds.html: This website is a collection of links, articles, and current research focused on the Deaf population who have multiple disabilities that are listed as blindness, autism, mental retardation, learning disabilities, and cerebral palsy.



http://www.ndepnow.org/agenda/agenda.htm: The website was established by National Deaf Education Project on the cohesive decision of a historical coalition of parents, consumer, professional, and advocacy organizations involved in the education of Deaf and hard of hearing children to develop an effective eduational system. NDEP provides information about the most current Educational Reforms, the National Agenda, and provides Additional Resources along with the links to the National State Leaders' Summits on a yearly basis.

Learning Technology and Resources for Deaf Students

I have created a project designed for educators and the families of Deaf students with multiple disabilities, it is a collection of the most current technology and resources combined with my rationale for Bilingual applications for each resource.



URL: www.apreso.com

APRESO PRODUCT INFO: http://www.apreso.com/pdf/Anystream_classroom.pdf

This product is directly from my personal use and experience as a pre-service educator and a graduate student with a coursework at Gallaudet University; my Linguistics class have used the Apreso product for high-visibility needs about ASL(America Sign Language) and English.
The application of this product to any school program have to be evaluated carefully through the use of the Criteria Selection to find the most suitable product for the individual program, it is located at the URL of http://www.apreso.com/products/which-product-is-right-for-me.asp At this point, I will just focus on the application of the Apreso product for the classroom since this is focused on the Education system and offer my evaluation for future users. First of all, the applicability of this product is designed for maximum high-speed network to be incorporated all over the campus and in the main server of the computer network of the school program. The equipment requirements is as follows; 1) BlackBoard Program – installed in all computers and can be accessible by the students and faculty alike to view the individual class’ transcription, which includes the signing instructor, remote-controlled dialogue by the students for question and discussion format and time-linked with the running PowerPoint program of the class, 2) Camcorder – OPTIPLEX GX620(individual camcorder that is being used at Gallaudet University) otherwise it must be at least 3CCD powered and of best quality, 3) Laptop Computer – for viewing purpose if filmed for storytelling clips and/or student group projects, media presentations and for the use of the instructor to control the PowerPoint program when used in the classroom, 4) Computer Monitor and PC – Monitor screen shows the transcription of the connected PPT and the signing instructor in its entirety, the requirements doesn’t matter for this part while the PC must be of top quality and ordered from Apreso to ensure the comptability of all program requirements, 5) Studio Lights (2) – the equipment can be used for media presentation, storytelling clips, lesson plans, and/or student led group projects and to cosmetically balance the color and light symmetry of the signer/s. A sample of the described product can be found here at http://see.apreso.com/acmcontent/b5ab5289-1e62-4710-a7d7-230d9f3e7b7e/MathProportions_73_2006-09-18_01-32-PM_files/flash_index.htm.

The cost range really varies for school, college, and university on an individual basis and this synthesis of the information is a presentation of what Apreso program can and will offer for the classroom setting and the subsequent program requirements for the program installment on individual campus for that to happen. More detailed information can be found at the main site of www.aspreso.com and this product is listed as the number one on this project for a reason – it is most technologically advanced product and is Deaf-friendly for the communication dynamics. It also meets the needs of the students to review and reassess the context of the class through their native language linked with text-laden information. It can be applied to any educational program depending on the system requirements and the result from the criteria selection that I provided at the beginning to find the most suitable product then one can find more information about the price range and necessary components of the product installment.

URL: http://www.pecs.com/
URL: http://www.amazon.com/Pictures-Worth-Visual-Communication-Strategies/dp/0933149964/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-5104995-0380948?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191502667&sr=8-1


Marvella’s Recommendations:
I have included the product’s information combined with the book written by the creators of the PECS to provide an informative start for those who are interested in the Autism spectrum and the children/adults affected by the disability on their communication skills along with their behavior tendencies. The focus is on the communication needs of those who have Autism and other language disorders and PECS is an enabling tool to encourage the communication to occur, following the 6 phases described below in a reverse-chaining method by withholding praise/reward to start the expressed communication process. I strongly encourage those who plan to use the PECS to add realistic pictures whenever possible since the images in the PECS are typically colored pictures accompanied with printed word. The design might not be appropriate for young children and authentic pictures of a young child doing a certain behavior are more effective than an out-of-contextual picture. There are a large amount of products and their price range varies greatly and so my decision was to include the main website, http://www.pecs.com that has a comprehensive product page that provides the specific information for individual product and its amenities. The book’s price is listed at $11.53 on the Amazon’s website.
AMAZON EDITORAL REVIEW: A PICTURE'S WORTH examines the value of non-verbal communication strategies for children with autism, and presents the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) in detail. PECS is a communication system that allows a child to use a picture (or series of pictures) to express his needs and desires without a prompt or cue from another person. Authors Bondy and Frost co-developed PECS during many years of experience working with children with autism, and now share their expertise in this easy-to-understand guide for parents.
After a thorough review of verbal communication development, A PICTURE'S WORTH explains how autism affects the acquisition and progression of those skills. Without the ability to express themselves, children with autism experience a high level of frustration, which is the root cause of many undesirable behaviors. The book explores the relationship between behavior and communication, teaching parents how to recognize patterns in their own child’s behavior and when to begin a visual communication program such as PECS.
The authors recommend that parents teach PECS in a succession of six phases. Each phase builds on the previous one, until a child is capable of constructing sentences with pictures to make requests and comments about his surroundings. The book provides many real-life case studies, along with a complete series of lessons, from beginner to more advanced PECS techniques.
There is no minimum age or cognitive level required for a child to begin learning PECS. While PECS is frequently used with children who are non-verbal, it has been used effectively with kids who speak, but do not initiate communication. And contrary to many parents’ concerns, PECS does not inhibit a child’s ability to acquire and use speech. A PICTURE'S WORTH promises the opportunity for most children with autism to acquire meaningful and effective communication skills.

About the Author
Andy Bondy, Ph.D., has over 30 years experience working with children and adults with autism and developmental disabilities. Lori Frost, M.S., CCC.SLP is a certified speech-language pathologist with extensive experience helping children with limited speech and challenging behavior. Dr. Bondy and Ms. Frost are co-developers of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) and co-founders of Pyramid Educational Consultants.
ADDITION: Their website is http://www.pecs.com
CITATION: http://www.amazon.com/Pictures-Worth-Visual-Communication-Strategies/dp/0933149964/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-5104995-0380948?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191502667&sr=8-1

Video Relay Service Device

PRICE: FREE for DEAF/Hard-of-Hearing Population, URL: http://www.sorensonvrs.com/apply/vp200.php
Marvella’s Recommendations:
The Sorenson Video Relay Service(VRS) device is a technology device that is designed for the maximum smooth transitions of ASL and other visual-modal languages and includes VR (video-relay) services when needed. The reason of the selection of this particular product is because it can provide authentic learning material for the developing ASL users and provide a set of authentic experiences for communication purposes for the students.
To further explain, one has to understand that the target audiences of this product would be those who are involved in the Deaf community and so they have largely adopted this device as a communication tools with the hearing population on a daily basis. Yet, the implications of the product in the education of the Deaf has not been recognized and so I decided to include this in the project and provide some guidelines that the teachers, the parents, and the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students can use for their learning experiences and reinforce their development of ASL. The students can practice their technology and communication abilities by calling a peer on the VP and communicate with her/him. Not only this, the teacher can record the conversation then have a hard copy as a reference to discuss with the individual student about his/her communication abilities. In this way, the DVD and/or VHS can be transformed into a learning material that the student and the teacher can use to reinforce the development of ASL. In addition, the DVD and/or VHS also can be used as an assessment tool for the teacher by tracking the clear visual process of an individual student’s signing abilities over the time. In addition, the students in one school can confer with other students in a different school and/or state for a group project and/or assigned part of a unit which is an essential part of learning community and peer interaction. About the families, it can be a valuable resource because the teacher can record the important conference calls to review the critical issues. The families can use the original purpose of the VP regardless they are hearing or Deaf, they can easily contact the teacher of their child, hearing or Deaf, and communicate efficiently in their native language.
Consequently, the VP device is classified as a technology tool to facilitate the communication between the essential partners, both hearing and Deaf, in the Deaf Education but it does not stop there. The permanent record of the dialogue that occurs between 2 people and/or two groups of people through VP can provide an outlet that can be transformed into a series of authentic learning materials and experiences that is accessible and assessable for the teacher and the student/s.


First Signs Match-Up Puzzle & Book Package: $15.00 each
URL: http://www.garlicpress.com/
Marvella’s Recommendation:
The Match-up series; First Signing and Animal Alphabet is designed as a learning material and play instrument for young children and their essential partners, in their language development, their parents, teachers, siblings, and playmates regardless of the hearing status of any one of them.
The use of the Match-up puzzle series can be incorporated into the learning centers of a pre-school up to Elementary department although one can imagine professionals such as speech-therapists, sign-therapists, language intervention specialists and many others using this product. The product is not limited to the classrooms, it can be used at home and/or day centers of the young children. The physical description of the product is as follows; the pictures on the first piece of the puzzle are of actual objects, animals, and people printed in three dimensions on one piece of the two-piece child-friendly sized puzzle. On the second piece of the two-piece puzzle presents a drawing of the represented sign, not only that, all puzzle pieces only matches its corresponding puzzle piece which is important. Oftentimes, the resources are drawings or colored drawings which are different than the actual pictures for the target audience of young children. Infants and young children often don’t understand drawings taken out of context and so, the ideal situation is to use actual pictures linked with something they already know. In this case, it is clearly the sign being represented, or for some children, the picture is already familiar but not for the sign. The product was carefully thought out for this specific group targeted for the usage of the puzzle pieces. In addition, the drawing of the “signer’ has directional arrows for the sign movements and duplication of signs when the sign is too abstract that makes the sign more accessible for the non-signer and/or the individuals who are learning the signs usage themselves with the young child through playing with the puzzles. Depending on the child’s process, the puzzle pieces can be used to reinforce the English development as well as the ASL development because the picture has clearly printed words for each object/persons/animal puzzle piece. It is essential that the adult and/or family member does transition work by signing the sign with the child, then gradually increase the challenge by spelling and signing the English word hence reinforcing the development of both languages for the bilingual young learners. Keeping in the mind that the target audience is primarily the children who are learning ASL, Deaf and hearing, as their first language but it can include the children who are learning English first then ASL and their siblings. The family orientation and involvement is always a bonus and provide meaningful interactions that will develop more lasting bond. There should be a user of English and ASL interacting with the young child, and, they even can learn the signs at the same time, and be the role model of both languages with the child and the puzzle pieces.
The product’s relevance is through the actual play with the puzzle pieces and the language modeling interaction between the child and the bilingual user. In addition, they can be a resource to build up the confidence of the hearing parents of a Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing child and be a supplemental activity to develop and deepen familial relationships.


Sign Charts, Price: $15.95
URL: http://www.garlicpress.com/
This product are large, 2-sided flip charts filled with signs combined with English words in print for individual categories which are as follows; 1) School Signs, 2) Food Signs, 3) Beginning Signs, 4) Animal Signs.
Keeping in the mind that local state’s accent-signs will be shown and so, if the area you live in has a different sign for a particular object or activity, one has to consider adding it to the chart so that the students don’t get confused. The chart was designed for the younger aged children from Pre-School up to Elementary but since the charts also include the School Signs and Beginning Signs, they will be appropriate for the children who are language-delayed for one reason or another. In other words, the children who are learning ASL for the first time can be considered as appropriate audience for the usage of the charts. Like always, for both target audiences, it is absolutely critical that the children have the opportunity to have authentic experiences with the activity and objects and learn the signs within the context and so they can generalize the signs to different situations and/or environments. The same will occur to their ability to apply what they draw from the authentic experiences to the signs/English print then back to experience again. From there, the young children and learners can generalize the known elements then, combined with the exposure of a fluent bilingual user with the resource of these charts; the concepts can be crystallized for those learners. The usage of this product is not limited to the classroom; it can be used for speech habilitation by using the knowledge of what the children already possess and the same for the literacy specialists. If possible, the experiences with the charts with the family in the child’s home environment will only support the development of both languages and further stimulate the child’s eagerness to learn as well as the non-signer members of the child’s family. A suggestion to make it transport-friendly is to take pictures of the chart with a digital camera then printing the images on a firm thick paper and making a mini-chart out of it for the child to take home. The older children can expand the learned concepts by making their own mini-charts of what they love to do, what they do on a daily basis – scheduling, and any type of activity that they want to make into mini-charts would be more meaningful and involves critical steps of decision-making in the whole process. Instead of the drawn pictures of the signers, they can take pictures of themselves signing the signs or the teacher even can make a flipping-chart of a sign in sequence for those who are struggling with the sign production.
It is essential that the charts are viewed as learning materials that will complement of what the students are learning and are acquiring in neither or both languages of English and ASL by the teacher and other faculty. Just as critical would be the applicability and generalizing of what is being shown on the charts for the young learners, it is a stepping stone not limited to what is there but an introduction of what is really in the child’s life and what area/s that need to be supported visually through the known language base of the child.

ASL structured Book Series

Sample Page taken from Ananse the Spider’s book: http://garlicpress.com/PDF/Ananse.pdf
Price: $4.95 per book, URL: www.garlicpress.com
This collection of books is designed for children who are developing their ASL(American Sign Language) skills and when they are approximately ready to use their pre-reading skills to “read” books through their native language. Even though the ASL in the featured books does have limitations with the use of static pictures, it will be an empowering reading material for the young children who are becoming fluent in ASL and want to read independently.
The books will encourage the students whose English skills have not been fluent and is in that stage and so, the use of these books will be powerful for those children. The age range is not limited since there are different children of different ages who are fluent in ASL yet still developing English skills. There is an additional limitation of this book series, I only found these four books but I still consider that group of the children who want to use their native language an essential group of the students and sadly enough don’t have resources for that essential yet awkward stage. The books can be used as a transition point and the teachers/parents/families can use the concept of the system used in the books to gradually add on their own pictures of a favorite story and/or sequence of events through pictured signer signing the plot.
Additionally, the concept of the used strategy in those books can encourage the parents and/or teachers to design similar books covering an array of topics with the use of the pictures of the signer, not limited to the teacher but to the parent, sibling, the student, regardless of the ages. This strategy made my decision to include this product as a learning material for the use of the school programs, families, and teachers of the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing children.


Wow! Sign Language for Everyone; Price: $9.95
URL: www.garlicpress.com
This resource is one of the most exciting finds; it will be a gem that many teachers and parents will truly appreciate and enjoy along with the Deaf and/or Hard-of-Hearing children.
It appears to be a simple book with static contemporary signs, which is a wonderful resource by itself but known as common-place in the Deaf community and Deaf Education. But if one picks the book up, the reader will see the transparent button that says “START HERE Tip Card Forward” on the ‘signer picture then the signer becomes animated and literally signs the appropriate sign and the English word appear during the animation. To be specific, the book has 20 pages and a sign on each page then the ten pages “…have embedded lenticular lenses that actually show the animated motion of signing”( http://garlicpress.com/cgi-bin/shop_gp.cgi). This product is a remarkable find and it also includes the facial expression on the signer during the animation which is so crucial for ASL development process. I sincerely hope that the company will make much more books in an array of topics and concepts because, instead of the typical static signer frozen in time, it actually interacts on its own with the reader. In a way, this book represents the literal action of reading ASL through a book format even though I do recognize that the real-life examples of fluent bilingual user of English and ASL are the best resource and language model.
Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing children and students will absolutely love this book in their classrooms and homes, I predict this book will be the most readable book in any library for all types of readers, Deaf or hearing and signer or non-signer alike!
APA Citation: http://garlicpress.com/cgi-bin/shop_gp.cgi


URL:http://www.mayerjohnson.com/MainBoardmaker.aspx?MainCategoryID=5419&CategoryID=5420&SubCategoryID=5424

Marvella’s Recommendations:
This website is an inclusive collection of relevant web-pages chock-filled with links to important resources and information on the specific target audiences and this will be a synthesis of the large array of information being represented.
The program of Boardmaker is similar to the IntelliTools but it is focused on the education and is a resource primarily for the educators, their students, the families and the inner community of the users. It is a symbol-based communication and learning resource that incorporates the use of technology to reinforce the communication and the learning of the students in school and home settings. The Boardmaker products’ design is through five categories of books, hardware, symbol/picture sets, display materials, and the software. The educational programs are focused on the use of touch, sound, and sight through an array of programs that are categorized for books, hardware, and software for the use of the students and their teachers. The AAC products is designed for the verbal and print communication for the students of all ages, who cannot physically speak, the relevant products is similar to the listed categories with the addition of display materials and music, DVDs and videotapes. Not only that, it can be used for the students who need additional hands-on opportunties to express communication that cannot be done verbally and/or signing due to physical, emotional, and/or mental disabilities. The website provides links for support services, updated downloads, tips, events and training opportunities. In addition, it does have a special section that includes use of ASL and SEE for the Deaf children and their needs although the language is a mixture of both languages which needs to be considered carefully before the application into the program for bilingual learners of ASL and English.
In this way, this is a technology device that also provides the reinforced learning materials for the target audiences of the students of all ages to supplement their learning process with visual tools and aids.


IntelliTools

Marvella’s Recommendations:
The IntelliTools have resources which are both a learning material/resource and assistive technology for four target audiences which are 1)Educators for their students, 2) Parents for their children, 3) the Government, and 4) Seniors. The website provides direct links for IntelliTools Classroom Suite, IntelliKeys, Overlay Maker, Language Arts, Mathematics, Switch Access Products, Tools, and Third Party Products. I will provide a brief summation for each and the products listed, along with their applications for the target audiences, otherwise the website provides a comprehensive introduction and lists the relevant information for each resource listed.
IntelliTools are designed to be a resource to provide learning tools for students in two different environments; home-school and the classroom. It has been used in the home-school curriculum and the strongest product being used in both settings and others is primarily the IntelliKeys, “…a programmable alternative keyboard that enables users with physical, visual, or cognitive disabilities to easily type, enter numbers, navigate on-screen displays, and execute menu commands…”( http://www.intellitools.com/resources/parents.aspx). And so, the product IntelliKeys is not limited to the classroom but also is efficiently being used by the workers from the government and the seniors who have the physical, visual, or cognitive disabilities. The IntelliTools Classroom Suite is designed to provide support the teachers, the students, and the English Language Learners. Overlay Maker provides the information necessary to customize the products to make them appropriate for the specific group of users in a variety of settings while the Language Arts section is the phonemic and literature-based units of study and Mathematics section is the MathPad and provides mathematical concepts with the use of IntelliTool products. The Tools section is specifically designed to provide a variety of ‘keyguard’ outlines while the Third Party section is the additional resource page to supplement of what the IntelliTools have already laid out.
The website is carefully designed for the full-range accessibility and support for the customers of the IntelliTools and provides the best information of a variety of the products and the degree of application of each target audience.
APA Citation: http://www.intellitools.com/


SIGNING TIME DVD SET: PRICE - $14.99, URL: http://www.signingtime.com/
This is a learning material resource that is used through technology of DVD that the teachers and families of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing children can use in their respective environments to supplement what is naturally occurring in their development of ASL(American Sign Language).
One has to understand that the DVD set does not replace the authentic experiences drawn from the interactions with fluent ASL users and/or language models for the young children but rather as an extra reinforcement for the language development. Although I do recognize that the signing styles of the signer is, at times, stilted and the non-manual cues from the facial expressions are absent. The featured signer is neither Deaf nor a fluent ASL user and so, the signing patterns are not as natural as they ideally could be for the fluent Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing signers. Through my search for native users of ASL, I could only find Fairy Tales and additional story-telling resources, which are remarkable by their own right, and are enjoyable for the children of all ages. Yet, I was looking for DVDs that can focus on important concepts that Deaf and Hard of Hearing children with additional disabilities often struggle with and daily need interactive examples of. The concepts would be introducing themselves, counting numbers, doing the alphabet and countless daily skills that need to be reinforced throughout the classroom, authentic experiences, at home and every possible environment for them to retain the knowledge from. This DVD set is the best resource that actually uses a form of ASL and has verbal English; the featured signer is not talking while she is signing but there is an audio option, and covers a wide array of real-life scenarios. There is a separate set with the same featured signer designed for Deaf and/or Hard-of-Hearing babies and their parents but I felt this particular set is what many teachers often find unavailable and struggle to find more learning materials covering the needs of the M.D. Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing target population on a daily basis. And so, my decision to include this set is extremely difficult since the ASL is not really expressed fully but the fact that the topics match the lacking resources of many teachers and the featured signer does sign and her fluency would be between the language of ASL and SEE (Signing Exact English) methodology. Keeping that rationale in the mind, I decided to include this product in this collection since there is a high demand for this type of resources in the school and home environments. In addition, the hearing populations who are interested in learning sign language, even though I strongly encourage them to directly socialize with the Deaf community for the majority of the time, can use this DVD set as a resource of their development. It is absolutely critical that they do know that the signed language being used is not a sample of a fluent ASL user but, other than that, the DVD set is an excellent resource to have.
And so, the inclusion of the DVD set can be chosen from the array of topics for intermediate signers up to a variety of specific context such as farming, eating, and/or school related-signs for young learners for the concept being discussed or the visual resource for the development of signing skills.


Special Kids in School Book Series, PRICE: $11.95 each, URL: www.amazon.com

Marvella’s Recommendation:
Special Kids in School book series is made of two parts, an early edition and the most current addition, that uses a crisp style of drawings and English manner-of-voice that can be clear for children from 1st grade up to 5th grade, depending on their reading levels and fluency.
This resource covers crucial issues of being different in a variety of ways; health needs, disabilities, physical attributes, and other noticeable differences in children that often are misunderstood or avoided by their peers as a result. This series is designed to explain the reason behind the difference and uses a matter-of-fact style to clarify many questions that might be asked by the child, who is different, and his/her peers. It is essential that the books are not used as a book by itself, but incorporated around and throughout the curriculum, especially for the Elementary aged children. For the families and the use of the books at home, it can be used with a trusted adult to open the floor for questions that the child may not feel comfortable asking. In that way, the teacher/s or parent/s can guide the child or a classroom through the process and the children will gain an understanding for each other and accept the differences regardless they may be in their family members, friends, siblings, peers, and/or classmates. I have selected only four books to show the array of different things that are used in the book and each is introduced by the similar-aged child character. This will be a suitable resource to have when the school system talks about issues of bullying, accepting differences, and other crucial topics that always come up in the education system and/or in personal life at home.
In addition, the books can be used as a starting point to help the children feel comfortable to ask questions about difficult and emotional situations at home, in individual classrooms, or in the school system. It is important that a trusted adult be present if it is a personal situation to encourage the child/ren to discuss and talk about it.


PRICE: $18.95, URL: www.picturewindowbooks.com

Marvella’s Recommendation:
This book series is focused on English’s individual elements designed for children and students at an Accelerated Reader Level; the books are designed in a wacky and hilarious style that fluent English readers will enjoy reading about the ‘dry’ concepts with a fresh perspective.
The target audience is specifically for fluent readers of English but the teacher can use the presentation styles to introduce the concepts in ASL (American Sign Language) through interactive role-play and hands-on experience rather than drill-writing that doesn’t provide authentic learning experiences for the individual students. The book series is not limited to the five featured books but encompasses all other important components of English and the fluidity style can be credited to the author of all books, Nancy Loewen teamed with illustrator, Sara Gray. The rationale of this particular product selection is largely due to the large number of ASL-based learning materials that has been featured so far and I wanted to balance that out with English-based learning materials. Like always, the teacher need to be careful about the assessment of the students, if they are not fluent in English yet and still are developing ASL, the book series will only overwhelm them. But, if the shoe is on another foot, the students are fluent in English and ASL; this will be a resource to their learning process of both languages. It is crucial for the teacher to provide the ASL conceptualization along with the English to advocate the bilingual process for this group of fluent users. Again, it is important for the teacher to be honest with the on-going assessments of his/her students before the use of this book series. If the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students have acquired a fluency with their native language, ASL, through a supplementary introduction and conceptualization of ASL structure, grammar, and rules of syntax, the better they will acquire the same concepts of their second language of English.


Interactive Video Journal

Price: $29.99, URL: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2718785

Marvella’s Recommendation:
This product is an interactive camera that the children can use to take good-quality pictures and record short animation clips; it is designed primarily for transferability to the video journal access and templates in a large amount of variety and flexibility for its users. It is listed on the website specifically for young girls at the age range of eight years to 14-year olds of whom may possess a written dairy of their own. Ideally, this product combines the fluidity of text of a personal dairy and the user’s personal preferences, along with the pictures and video clips that are simple to use.
The combination of the technological applications and the text fluidity within a compact-sized camera that only requires one AA battery is transport-friendly for carrying or putting into a deep pocket/purse. The specification of the young girls of the age range from 8 years to 14 years is the only thing that I strongly disagree with the usage of this product; it can be used for both genders and of who should be comfortable with writing English text. Boys and girls will enjoy this product just as equally and the important element of this product is its template options that can be adjusted to personal preferences and the camera is not color-specified unlike some other products are. Even though, the young children don’t notice little things like those two elements but there is a degree of reality that one has to keep in the mind about the general public and their possible reactions that may have negative and positive implications. Just as important, the privacy of the child/children can be protected through a series of sequences that starts with a ‘hide’ button that will shut down the journal and additional links. This will be a topic that the parents/teachers need to cover during the purchase process and the discussion of the potential uses of this product with the child/children, establishing acceptable boundaries between both groups otherwise it would be a power struggle.
The application to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing children through this product is a broad range through advocacy for the bilingual users of two languages; for instance, the animated signing video clips on the journal, written text, directions of specific errand and/or activity combined with the signed directions of the teacher and/or a trusted adult. All of these different ideas has a profound impact and will be an empowering tool for a child/student/teenager’s independency as a bilingual learner of two languages, the acquisition of a language, and/or development as a language user. The important step in the entire process is that the teacher/parent is interactively involved in the procedure and is present when the usage of the product to make sure the learner knows how to use the product for specific reasons. An additional example is when a high-school aged student gets this product and uses it as directions to find his way to where he works after-school hours with the teacher signing the directions how to walk there and what to do if an emergency arises. Through this example, the product can be applied for the use of the Deaf and/or Hard-of-Hearing students with additional disabilities who need extra visualization aids to guide them through real-life scenarios that they would typically depend on the presence of another staff/faculty member/parent/sibling. And so, the use and application of the product fosters independency and self-care skills that is high in demand for their daily lives and empowers the learners to learn the technology and problem-solve immediately without reliance of potential strangers and/or harmful situations.


Ultimate American Sign Language Dictionary
Price: $44.95, URL: http://idrt.com/ProductInfo.php?ID=43&u=2

The Ultimate ASL(American Sign Language) Dictionary can be used in the home and school settings for the use of the learners of ASL/English, the teachers, and the families of Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. The “Check your Best Friend” quote should be forbidden in the classrooms when the students have not acquired the fluent ability to specific-search in English since it will be their 2nd language so that’s where this product will come in.
The use of traditional Dictionary is excellent in limited scenarios because it won’t provide solutions when the child/learner is still acquiring the stages of their 2nd language, specifically ASL or English, with the different language as their native language. Through the use of this product, the child/non-signer/learner/parent can use their native language to find the specific word in another language easily through the customized search engine for English and ASL languages. In addition, the search engine also will show the video of a signer, using ASL, in the English vocabulary while the English text is clearly shown through the pictured sign-sequences of ASL. A spelling-check is available for English while there is parameter-check available for ASL, along with the dictionary which will show the English equivalent definition applying to ASL and vice versa. The signs and text are combined with audio and so hearing non-signers such as parents and friends of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing learners can use this dictionary just as easily as the learners themselves. This product is equipped with approximately 15,000 files filled with pictures, text, and video clips and the help files are directed to guide the user through the history of the development of both languages.
SYSTEM MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: Windows ’95, Pentium, 166 MHz, 4x CD-ROM Drive, 32 MB memory, 120 MB free disk space, Color SVGA that supports True Color (16 bit).


WEBSITE RESOURCES LIST
URL: http://www.garlicpress.com/

Marvella’s Recommendations:
I have included the URL of the website link that is focused on the use of the American Sign Language (ASL) in the books along with the English printed words in a variety of learning materials designed for 5 domains listed on the site. They are as follows; 1) Sign Language, 2) Math Series, 3) English Series, 4) Literature Series, and 5) Substitute Teaching.
The selection of this website is largely due to the high demand of the interactive books for the young infants/children who are the future readers of the English language. The best connection between the ASL and English is the fluent users of ASL and they are the language models of the bilingual users and usage to the young children through their interactions together. Yet, there are many Deaf children born into hearing families, which consists typically of hearing parents and hearing family members who are not fluent users of ASL, and so they need resources that will bring the connection between the two languages and can be used in the home and the school environment to reinforce the development of both languages. They are not a substitute for the fluent bilingual users of ASL and English but can be used as a resource of learning materials that can ‘interact’ with the young children and their families through both languages.
The materials varies for age-appropriate groups and resources such as puzzle pieces of pictures and the correct sign for each, books, teaching supplies and videotapes/dvds of ASL storytelling and vocabulary cards. The materials can be used for infants, toddlers, young children and as an extra visual resource for the learning students of ASL and/or English. Not only that, the games can be used for the siblings and hearing children of Deaf Adults, it is critical to find a resource that can be used as a learning material yet be flexible enough so that it can encourage the developing ASL and/or English users for each language by using what is their native language to reinforce the development of the second language. The Math series has a nice combination of the books and learning tools for the students to interact with to learn the mathematical concepts and the English series is focused on the isolated elements of English. Yet, the resource books for the literature series is largely limited to specific books that has been pre-selected and there are a limited number of resources for the substitute teachers on the website. The website resource is primarily focused on the target audiences of the infants, young children up to Elementary and their teachers and families.

URL: http://www.idrt.com/

Marvella’s Recommendations:
This website presents a unique mixture of technology and learning materials, all designed for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing children and the Deaf community that consists of the families of Deaf children, educators, professionals, researchers, and may other important members that makes the community whole as a cultural identified community.
The rationale of this selection is largely due to the fact that the Deaf students with additional disabilities oftentimes have to start from scratch for their first language development due to the barriers from the disability and/or family circumstances/backgrounds. This website provides so many learning materials and resources to supplement that absence in the classroom and in the home environments. The resources I have selected reinforce the development of the ASL and the transition from ASL to English for those who have the cognitive abilities. It is critical because there are an amount of Deaf children with additional disabilities depends on ASL as their only language and so it makes it even more important that they get the reinforcements they need to develop the language base to its maximum growth. The ideal situation is a fluent teacher in ASL placed with those students in the classroom to foster the language/s development all throughout the education system, who can adapt effective teaching strategies to overcome and/or bypass the presence of the disabilities, physical, emotional, and/or cognitive in the students. With that in the mind, the resources that I have listed are neither a replacement nor an alternative for the teacher and/or the family members in the child/student’s life but as an extra boost for the language development in ASL and English.
The software lists nine major categorizes; (1) Children – the resources are designed for young children and introduces different elements of ASL through games, videotapes, DVDs, word-play, books, computer programs, and other signed language resources, (2) Sign Language - games, videotapes, DVDs, word-play, books, computer programs, and other signed language resources, (3) Cued Speech – provides links and supporting learning materials for the teachers and the students who use Cued Speech in daily and school settings, (4) Dictionaries – provides ASL to English dictionary which can be a resource in the classroom and be used by the students who struggle with the transition from ASL to English or English to ASL, (5) Translators – oral translation software and translations of 4 different sign languages to ASL , (6) TTY – communication devices through TTY and/or computer-based TTY programs, (7) 9-1-1 – materials for training workshops and/or learning about the 9-1-1 services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing populations , (8) Vision – tracking programs that are used to encourage the pre-reading and pre-communication stages, (9) Communication Board – 1-2-3 Speak product for those who need to express their communication through the use of the icons and the program has a text and voice output.
The strengths of this website is a large collection of resources that is highly demanded by the Deaf Education and the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students in their learning process as fluent bilingual users of ASL and English. In addition, the website does have its drawbacks, they don’t offer all effective products and learning materials that provide the transitions between ASL and English and some programs are outdated. Yet, the ideas being presented can be used as a starting board for the teachers and other faculty of the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing children for additional ideas and conceptualization for the products for their students.







Authored by Marvella F. Sellers