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<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial color=#ffff00 size=6>Hi Val and
everyone,</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial size=6></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial color=#ffff00 size=6> One Deaf
teacher-researcher and I gave our SignWriting (SW) presentation at the
conference in Calgary (Western Canada) on July 23rd. Most
participants attending this conference were Deaf. Although we knew
that most were against the SW, we showed some video clips to them. They
had different reactions and saw the different behavior and facial attitude
towards written French and written (SW) LSQ. Another video clip showed
that when one Deaf student read written LSQ, raised his hand, stood up,
walked up to the wallboard, and told the story of written LSQ to 10 Deaf
students while his body showed pride and self-esteem. One Deaf
teacher-researcher gave one example of self-esteem to Deaf participants.
When he read written French, he never showed pride and self-esteem because he
never raised his hand and never gave a story of the written
French to Deaf students. After finishing our presentation, two Deaf
Californians met us. One was a professor at the CSUN and supported us.
The other one, who was a preschool teacher at the school for the Deaf in
Fremont, CA, admitted that he insisted on using the SW and said to us: "video
clips impact me". He told us that our SW presentation was wonderful.
He will try to be open-minded using the SW.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial size=6></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial color=#ffff00 size=6> However, 4
Deaf teachers have been teaching Deaf students at the school for the Deaf in
Milton, in Bellevue, in London (province of Ontario, Central Canada). They
will learn a Sign Font this fall because Dr. Sam Supalla (Deaf professor at The
University of Arizona) will show them how to teach a Sign Font using reading and
writing. They believe that a Sign Font is better than a SignWriting
because Deaf students learn a bridge between Sign Font and written English
if they gain sufficient vocabulary of English words, and then they don't use
Sign Font anymore and are skilled to read and to write English. They
told us that learning SignWriting is a waste of time because the Deaf
community doesn't use it and Deaf people who are skilled to read and to write SW
cannot obtain jobs in a hearing society.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial size=6></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial color=#ffff00 size=6> Although
the Deaf community in general does not support SW and (I believe) SF (Sign Font)
neither. One Deaf teacher-researcher keeps teaching SW to Deaf kids. We
tried to persuade Deaf and hearing participants to spread SW, however
we weren't successful and we keep fighting.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial size=6></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial color=#ffff00 size=6> Val, don't
be upset. I believe that you have gained a lot of your
experience in the past and the present about/through insisting on and struggling
for a SW. Good news for you, Steve who has been developing a Sign Puddle
stays hard at work. Also, Adam who supports you keeps up lots of energy creating
animated GIFs. I am always looking forward to learning Sign Puddle 3, 4,
5, 6, 7, 8, & 9 in the future. </FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial size=6></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial color=#ffff00 size=6> Best
wishes,</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial size=6></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial color=#ffff00 size=6>
André</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial size=6></FONT></STRONG> </DIV></BODY></HTML>