<html xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)">
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="PlaceName"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="PlaceType"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="City"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="State"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="country-region"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="place"/>
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }
</style>
<![endif]-->
<style>
<!--
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:Arial;
color:windowtext;
font-weight:bold;
font-style:normal;
text-decoration:none none;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
</head>
<body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple>
<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=5 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Dear SW members,<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=5 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=5 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA
style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:bold'> Because I feel that Val really
ought to know who I am, what I do and why I wish to establish contact with the
SW members, please find below my message.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=5 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA
style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:bold'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=5 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA
style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:bold'> Firstly, I will introduce
myself. I am deafblind. I attended the Deaf school in Québec city ( <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>) and I
grew up in their dormitory. I use <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Quebec</st1:place></st1:State>
Sign Language ( QSL). Since 1998, I am professor in the Department of Education
at the University of Ottawa<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=5 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA
style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:bold'> ( <st1:City w:st="on">Ottawa</st1:City>
is the capital of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>).
I have been teaching six different courses ( literacy and deafness: development
of writing and reading for deaf students. The students can obtain a
certificate of deaf education in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Ontario</st1:City>,
<st1:country-region w:st="on">Canada</st1:country-region></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=5 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA
style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=5 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA
style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:bold'> At the Deaf school in <st1:City
w:st="on">Ottawa</st1:City>, a project called “ Fais-moi signe” (
in English, “ Make me a sign”) is being developed to be presented
to the <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ontario</st1:place></st1:State>
Ministery of Education for their approval. I am preparing the QSL curriculum
as the first language from kindergarten to grade 2 ( 2006-2007), from grade 3
to grade 8 (2007-2008) and from grade 9 to grade 12 ( 2008-2009). Upon
approval of the project, the guide of QSL curriculum will be distributed to teachers
of Deaf students in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType w:st="on">province</st1:PlaceType>
of <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Ontario</st1:PlaceName></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=5 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA
style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=5 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA
style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:bold'> And now I would like to learn
more about SW curriculum. Do you have a Sign Writing curriculum from
kindergarten to grade 12 for deaf children, not adults? To my knowledge I
believe that only 2 teachers<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=5 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA
style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:bold'> ( Cecila Flood in USA, Stefan
Worhenman in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Germany</st1:country-region> and one
researcher(Kegl in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Nicaragua</st1:country-region>)
(another may be <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Brazil</st1:place></st1:country-region>)
have been teaching sign writing course to deaf children since many years.
Also, I know that Juliette ( <st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region>),
Katheren ( <st1:country-region w:st="on">Belgium</st1:country-region>) and
others ( <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region>-
Swiss, and so on) have been teaching the Deaf children an introduction to SW
for a few years. What about the popular hearing trainers ( Val, Ingvil, Stefan)
and deaf trainers ( Therirry, Lucyna, Stuart) who give to hearing and deaf
adults an introduction to SW.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=5 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA
style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=5 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA
style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:bold'> While visiting the Centre of Total
Communication in Danemark in 1998, I asked the hearing and deaf teachers if
they were using the SW in the class in 1998 and the answer was no.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=5 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA
style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=5 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA
style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:bold'> I already checked your SW book for
adults and also found you have a few children books ( literature) for reading.
Do you have a strategic instrument to teach deaf children how to read and write
SW? As an example, French hearing children in grade 1 learn to form the
regular plural of the nouns by adding an “ s”: chat-chats ( in
English, cat-cats). But, they cannot acquire the plural “aux”of
nouns ending in “al” in grade 1: cheval-chevaux ( in English
ox-oxen). It is only in grade 2 that the hearing children can acquire
appropriately the plural “ aux” of the nouns ending
“al”. <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=5 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA
style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:bold'> As the level of grades seems
important for deaf children to acquire the symbol of rotation, my question is :
should it be in grade 2 or in grade 3? As far as I am conserned I do not know.
<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=5 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA
style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><b><font size=5
face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:
bold'>Best regards<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=5 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA
style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=5 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA
style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=5 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA
style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=5 face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA
style='font-size:18.0pt;font-weight:bold'>André Thibeault<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>