<div>Dear Valerie,</div>
<div>Thank you for your kind message, and for posting the news.</div>
<div>I will try to explain briefly what I meant:</div>
<div>Over the last 20 years we have made strong efforts to establish research & development programs for creating valid and standardized batteries for assessing of a wide range of language competences. After examining more than 10,000 deaf students for more than 25 hours each, we have mapped parameters of development of competences such as alphabetical reading & spelling, speechreading skill and vocabulary, sign comprehension and expression, cheremic awareness, morphemic awareness, working memory, etc. We have used those instruments and parameters to compare the effects of a number of variables such as school placement, language used as vehicle for teaching, literacy acquisition methods and materials, etc. We have discovered the best time schedule for literacy acquisition and articulation between special education and mainstreaming, and we are working on public policies of education based on that scientific evidence. We have covered a wide range of subjects and fields, ranging all the way from the transparent to the profound. In order to help deaf kids learn Portuguese we have used all strategies conceivable, including taking advantage of the degree of transparency in the orofacial-graphemic correspondences in spoken and written Portuguese for helping cochlear-implanted deaf kids, all the way to taking advantage of the deep morphemic structure correspondences between Libras and Portuguese for helping congenital deaf kid read and spell. We have come across beautifully significant effects that have been quite encouraging. Also, we have documented thousands of fascinating phenomena, such as cheremic paralexias and cheremic paragrafias similar to those first described originally by Klina & Bellugi's The signs of language; and Poizner, Klima & Bellugi's What the hands reveal about the brain. Now we are finally getting close to the point we started dreaming of back in 1998, when we first found out about SignWriting while struggling with HamNoSys and Stokoe Notation System. We are finally getting close to be able to start addressing the questions pertaining the analysis and mapping the effects of SW upon cognition and language. We first had to set a number of parameters straight so as to know precisely where we are. We have made encouraging progress in that regard. We still have to finish the treatise, the compendium, the new sign-retrieval system based on cheremes, and the 6 remaining volumes of the encyclopedia first, though. Yet, we are confident we will manage to succeed in including a research lprogram devoted to assessing the effects of a SW instruction program by 2012. We will keep on working. Thank you very much for your kind enduring support. We have learned a lot from you. Best warm wishes,</div>
<div>Fernando<br><br></div>
<div class="gmail_quote">2011/2/11 Valerie Sutton <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:sutton@signwriting.org">sutton@signwriting.org</a>></span><br>
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<div>February 10, 2011</div>
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<div>Please watch this video:</div>
<div><a href="http://tvbrasil.ebc.com.br/reporterbrasil/video/3695/" target="_blank">http://tvbrasil.ebc.com.br/reporterbrasil/video/3695/</a></div>
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<div>Professor Fernando Capovilla is in the second half of the TV program...so wait through the beginning, and in the second segment you will meet Fernando, telling the world about the Novo-Deit Libras Dictionary...and although my understanding of Portuguese is minimal (smile ;-) I noticed that SignWriting is mentioned when Fernando opens the dictionary and points to the SignWriting - it looked very nice!</div>
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<div>An enjoyable program - Val ;-)</div>
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<div>PS. I am interested in your research project you mention below, Fernando...thank you for a systematic study of SignWriting - I had better get back to my lessons and provide you all with good materials....we have some new textbooks to share...</div>
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<div><a href="http://tvbrasil.ebc.com.br/reporterbrasil/video/3695/" target="_blank"><img src="cid:C6E1AC76-F1CD-4B32-979C-318760AA80B8" width="682" height="720"></a></div>
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<div>On Feb 8, 2011, at 8:49 PM, fernando capovilla wrote:</div>
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<div>Dear Valerie,</div>
<div>We are working on your great lessons. Thank you very much.</div>
<div>The 2nd part (2min 26 sec) of this video below talks about our Dic and SignWriting (4min). It was aired in national public television.</div>
<div><a href="http://tvbrasil.ebc.com.br/reporterbrasil/video/3695/" target="_blank">http://tvbrasil.ebc.com.br/reporterbrasil/video/3695/</a><br>I am coordinating a research project that is to include systematic study of SW.</div>
<div>We keep on studying. Thank you very much for your kind generous help.</div>
<div>Thank you very much. Best warm regards,</div>
<div>Fernando</div>
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<div>Fernando C. Capovilla, PhD<br>Professor Associado<br>Instituto de Psicologia, USP<br>Coord Lab Neuropsicolinguística Cognitiva Experimental, IP-Usp<br>Av. Prof. Mello de Morais 1721<br>São Paulo, SP, 05508-030</div>
<div><a href="mailto:fcapovilla3@gmail.com" target="_blank">fcapovilla3@gmail.com</a><br>visite-nos: <a href="http://lanceusp.hdfree.com.br/" target="_blank">http://lanceusp.hdfree.com.br/</a></div>
<div>veja nossos novos livros em: <a href="http://lanceusp.hdfree.com.br/livros.html" target="_blank">http://lanceusp.hdfree.com.br/livros.html</a></div>
<div>assista à entrevista concedida à TV Cultura sobre dislexia: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL8DLAGG-Pg" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL8DLAGG-Pg</a></div></blockquote></blockquote><br></div>
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<div>Val ;-)<br><br>Valerie Sutton<br>SignWriting List moderator<br><a href="mailto:sutton@signwriting.org" target="_blank">sutton@signwriting.org</a><br><br>Post Messages to the SignWriting List:<br><a href="mailto:sw-l@listserv.valenciacc.edu" target="_blank">sw-l@listserv.valenciacc.edu</a><br>
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