Cecilia Flood's Dissertation

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
July 11, 2003

On Friday, July 11, 2003, at 06:15 AM, Dan Parvaz wrote:
> I haven't read Cecelia's dissertation, but I did attend her defense.
> While I remember a lot of discussion on how using sign writing boosted
> feelings of ownership of the writing process (writing in "my language")
> and of making connections between signs and printed  symbols -- and I'm
> not knocking that -- there wasn't a whole lot of talk about more
> concrete outcomes. Does anyone (Cecelia, are you still here?) know if
> that was addressed? -Dan.

Cecilia Flood's dissertation did not have the goal, to specifically
test how people type, or to test how certain symbols work, or to test
for improved grammar etc...Cecilia's intent was to show that Deaf
children's self-esteem improved, and their ability to take over a
project, and to feel proud of their accomplishments all improved, when
they had a way to read and write their own language of ASL...so Cecilia
was trying to show that it was not a negative influence, but quite the
opposite - a positive influence if the deaf child learned SignWriting
along with other subjects in school...and she succeeded to show
that...Thank you, Cecilia!

The specific kind of testing and studies you mention above would be
most welcome and I hope others will write those dissertations...

Cecilia's dissertation was a long one, and is a thick book that will be
published in time. Meanwhile, I do have Chapter 3 only, available for
download for those interested:

Document 68...go to:
http://www.SignWriting.org/library/pdf

Val ;-)