<html><body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><div>It was a nice surprise to see you too, Shane. Hmm, I wouldn't mind seeing if we could get something going. I have gotten some positive responses about SignWriting in my department, so it might be possible. ;-)</div><div><br></div><div>Adam<br><br>On Oct 8, 2010, at 8:28 AM, "Shane K. Gilchrist" <<a href="mailto:shane.gilchrist@GMAIL.COM">shane.gilchrist@GMAIL.COM</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><div></div><blockquote type="cite"><div>Hi everyone,<br><br>sorry for the silence here - im on the plane to London after my 3 weeks stay in the States. I have enjoyed myself very much there.<br><br>Want to talk about two things here:<br><br><u><b>1. Adam Frost at Gallaudet</b></u><br>
To my surprise, I found myself sitting beside Adam Frost in one of the linguistics classes at Gallaudet - I didnt expect him to be there (I didnt know he was doing his MA at Gallaudet - maybe he did say something abt it on SW-L but I didnt follow SW-L until a few weeks ago :-( I have really enjoyed getting to know him and hes a cool guy - quite smart for sure :-)<br>
<br>I was wondering maybe Adam can set up an informal class after Xmas at Gally to teach signwriting and I could talk to Gaurav one of the assistant professors in the Linguistics department to see if they can set up a course module (creditable) next year to teach SW there - but they might not buy the idea.<br>
<br><u><b>2. TISLR Conference</b></u><br>As many of you know, TISLR is THE conference for sign linguists and researchers so it was natural that I had to be there - 400 were registered to attend but most did come - got to meet many big names and made new friends etc. There were a lot of SW supporters, especially the Belgians but unfortunately there were no talks on signwriting - it has to be addressed (no I didnt submit in time!) but hopefully that ll change at the next TISLR conference - it ll be in London - 2013 - maybe Adam and I can submit a paper together there :-)<br>
<br>I got to meet Charles Butler - it was really nice seeing him - I introduced him to a few SignWriters there.<br><br>More signwriters there:<br><br>Isabella Heyrecik (sp?)<br>Thierry Haesanne<br>Danny de Woordt<br>Mim Veer-something ;-)<br>
<br>some more but I forgot their name - either way, we can get a special session on signwriting at TISLR11 as it will be hosted by Bencie Woll who is a supporter of SignWriting :-)<br><br>Shane<br><br><br>On 3 October 2010 18:17:37 UTC+1, Erika Hoffmann <<a href="mailto:erhoffma@oberlin.edu"><a href="mailto:erhoffma@oberlin.edu">erhoffma@oberlin.edu</a></a>> wrote:<br>
> Wow! I really regret that I was unable to get funding to attend TISLR<br>> this year - not only could I have me you and the SignWriting people<br>> you mentioned, but I just learned that a Deaf Nepali friend was there!<br>
> Best,<br>> Erika<br>><br>> On Sun, Oct 3, 2010 at 12:33 PM, Valerie Sutton <<a href="mailto:sutton@signwriting.org"><a href="mailto:sutton@signwriting.org">sutton@signwriting.org</a></a>><br>> wrote:<br>>> SignWriting List<br>>> October 3, 2010<br>
>><br>>> Hello Charles and everyone!<br>>><br>>> I am sooo glad you enjoyed the TISLR! And that you saw so many people -<br>>> terrific! And I am really impressed and happy with the poster presentation<br>
>> on SignTyp and SignWriting that was presented at TISLR by you and Rachel<br>>> Channon from the University of Connecticut. Thank you to you both for your<br>>> hard work on that project.<br>>><br>
>> Yes, typing fingerspelling in vertical columns would be a wonderful<br>>> feature in any computer program. The old SignWriter DOS program can only<br>>> type fingerspelling from left to right like English...<br>
>><br>>> Regarding the older program....Anyone is welcome to use SignWriter DOS<br>>> right now...just use DOS BOX on either Mac or Windows, and SignWriter DOS<br>>> works on modern computers...You can download it for free on the internet.<br>
>><br>>> Richard Gleaves and I worked hard on the development of SignWriter and<br>>> certainly loved the keyboarding we developed together, but there was never<br>>> any mouse action in SignWriter - there is literally NO capability to use a<br>
>> mouse in any SignWriter program, whether it was SignWriter DOS, SignWriter<br>>> Java or the old SignWriter for the Apple //e and //c.<br>>><br>>> When we switch countries in SignWriter DOS, it is always done through the<br>
>> keyboard...the entire thing is keyboarded, with NO mouse.<br>>><br>>> The reason I do not personally use SignWriter DOS any longer? Because<br>>> Lucinda O'Grady Batch and other Deaf people who are members of our Deaf<br>
>> Action Committee (DAC) requested that we write down in vertical columns, and<br>>> that is what we have with SignPuddle software by Steve Slevinski, and with<br>>> other programs such as the new SignWriter Studio by Jonathan Duncan, that is<br>
>> not ready yet but is coming...I know Steve would love to add keyboarding to<br>>> SignPuddle someday...it is just a big job to program that, and meanwhile<br>>> some people love using a mouse to drag and drop - not everyone loved<br>
>> keyboarding, by the way...only some people do - I used to get complaints<br>>> from some people that they didn't want to learn to type and preferred a<br>>> mouse, back before SignPuddle was developed...so since people think and work<br>
>> differently it would be nice to have BOTH options...<br>>><br>>> So what we really need is to combine the old with the new...we need the<br>>> keyboarding of SignWriter DOS and Java, with the vertical columns of<br>
>> SignPuddle - and then we are set - ha!<br>>><br>>> Meanwhile, if you want to use SignWriter DOS or Java right now, I can help<br>>> you set it up on your computer so you can keyboard again if you prefer...it<br>
>> doesn't use the up-to-date symbols of course - that is another drawback,<br>>> darn it...<br>>><br>>> Welcome home, Charles - smile -<br>>><br>>> Val ;-)<br>>><br>>> ----------<br>
>><br>>><br>>> On Oct 3, 2010, at 9:10 AM, Charles Butler wrote:<br>>><br>>>> TISLR was fantastic, I just wish I had not been so antsy and having to<br>>>> get back so early.<br>>>><br>
>>> Shane Gilchrist<br>>>> Ronice Quadros<br>>>> Lucinda Batch O-Grady<br>>>> Charles Butler<br>>>> Eyasu Tamene<br>>>><br>>>> These were the people I recognized immediately by face from on line. It<br>
>>> was so good to be among so many people that are using sign writing even in<br>>>> the face of opposition. I met one professor (name gone) whose doctoral<br>>>> student is doing a project on keyboarding SignWriting, which I really<br>
>>> believe would be a good thing. I used the SignWriter program in Brazil.<br>>>><br>>>><br>>>> There were so many things that one could do on the old SignWriter program<br>>>> that are awkward to do at best.<br>
>>><br>>>> Fingerspelling is one, you can't simply TYPE and get fingerspelling, you<br>>>> have to look up each sign individually. The old interface was better as you<br>>>> could learn to type a sign in at speed without thinking. A mouse you have<br>
>>> to look for everything all the time.<br>>>><br>>>> We need to really look at all the developments that are happening in<br>>>> processing and find our way back in new computer languages to our old<br>
>>> capabilities.<br>>>><br>>>> Before, with a swipe of a mouse I could change from English to ASL (or<br>>>> other language) fingerspelling, substitute vocabulary in English sentence<br>
>>> phrase by phrase and eventually end with an ASL sentence in proper<br>>>> grammatical order.<br>>>><br>>>> Can't do that on the computer anymore, everything is mouse-mouse-mouse,<br>
>>> and no interaction between two writing systems. We do it in space, and on<br>>>> paper, we need to be able to do the same thing on computer.<br>>>><br>>>> Charles<br>>>><br>
>>><br>>>> From: Shane K. Gilchrist <<a href="mailto:shane.gilchrist@GMAIL.COM"><a href="mailto:shane.gilchrist@GMAIL.COM">shane.gilchrist@GMAIL.COM</a></a>><br>>>> To: <a href="mailto:SW-L@LISTSERV.VALENCIACC.EDU"><a href="mailto:SW-L@LISTSERV.VALENCIACC.EDU">SW-L@LISTSERV.VALENCIACC.EDU</a></a><br>
>>> Sent: Mon, September 27, 2010 1:40:16 AM<br>>>> Subject: Re: SignWorkshop OASLTA<br>>>><br>>>> Don't worry Charles<br>>>><br>>>> I used to be one of the skeptics until Belgium's Kathleen & Sara<br>
>>> discreetly introduced me to SW.<br>>>><br>>>> The rest is history.<br>>>><br>>>> Sent from my iPad<br>>>><br>>>> On 26 Sep 2010, at 20:45, "Valerie Sutton" <<a href="mailto:sutton@SIGNWRITING.ORG"><a href="mailto:sutton@SIGNWRITING.ORG">sutton@SIGNWRITING.ORG</a></a>><br>
>>> wrote:<br>>>><br>>>> > SignWriting List<br>>>> > September 26, 2010<br>>>> ><br>>>> > Hello Charles!<br>>>> ><br>>>> > First of all, a big hug from me, and a big THANK YOU for being so brave<br>
>>> > to present at any conference - It takes courage to present in front of a<br>>>> > skeptical audience (if that was what they were...they may not have been)...<br>>>> ><br>>>> > I am sure you did an excellent job and please do not be hard on<br>
>>> > yourself...<br>>>> ><br>>>> > All presentations help SignWriting, no matter what the reaction,<br>>>> > because people become interested later. Even if they express some doubts<br>
>>> > right now, it is because it is the first time they have heard of it and we<br>>>> > all are skeptical about new ideas - but then later, they hear about it a<br>>>> > second time from someone else, and they remember the discussions with you<br>
>>> > the first time they heard about it, and they decide to look into it because<br>>>> > now their interest has been stimulated a second time -<br>>>> ><br>>>> > So you have really helped SignWriting no matter what -<br>
>>> ><br>>>> > Thank you for telling us about the presentation so quickly after it<br>>>> > happened -<br>>>> ><br>>>> > And Kelly Jo was there? Wow - that is so great!<br>
>>> ><br>>>> > So is there more time at the conference now? It will give you a chance<br>>>> > to talk to some of the people with questions - don't worry, Charles, this<br>>>> > was a real blessing -<br>
>>> ><br>>>> > Val ;-)<br>>>> ><br>>>> > -----<br>>>> ><br>>>> ><br>>>> > On Sep 26, 2010, at 5:33 PM, Charles Butler wrote:<br>>>> ><br>
>>> >> Well, I presented the workshop but I felt that I fell on my face for<br>>>> >> the following reasons:<br>>>> >><br>>>> >> 1) Too much information, too little time.<br>
>>> >> 2) Lack of vocabulary, all of the attendees were interpreters AND<br>>>> >> teachers of the deaf, and my vocabulary was inadequate to the task. I<br>>>> >> should have asked for help from KJ or another interpreter at the beginning.<br>
>>> >> 3) I got positive responses from a couple of people, but the most<br>>>> >> common one was "how many people IN OHIO are using this system", "why should<br>>>> >> MY students have to learn anything else?" Half of them maybe "got it" but<br>
>>> >> the others just kept with questions.<br>>>> >> 4) I should have simply linked to the website and gone from there as<br>>>> >> the website is informative, answers most of the common questions, and I<br>
>>> >> could have had a Deaf Advocate actually talking to the group.<br>>>> >><br>>>> >> Lessons learned, but I feel very small and inadequate right now.<br>>>> >><br>
>>> >> Charles Butler<br>>>> >><br>>>> >><br>>>> ><br>>>><br>>><br>>><br>><br>><br>><br>> --<br>> Erika Hoffmann-Dilloway<br>> Assistant Professor of Anthropology<br>
> Oberlin College<br>><br>><br><br>
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