NTID Technical Signs Manuals

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
May 12, 2004

NTID Technical Signs Manuals
1975-2004
This series of manuals on technical signs uses SignWriting movement
symbols, combined with life like drawings, to illustrate signs.

Description of Materials
In 1975 a project was initiated at NTID to help facilitate effective
and precise communication in academic and career environments through
the establishment of a nationally based system for collecting,
evaluating, selecting, recording, and sharing (CESRS) signs used by
skilled signers in these environments. This project, the Technical
Signs Project (TSP), which was conducted from 1975 through 1992,
resulted in the production of 59 videotapes (VTs) in the following 26
areas:

Anthropology
Business
Career Education
Communication: Audiology and Speech Pathology
Computer Terminology
Economics
Employment
Engineering
English
Fine and Applied Arts
Human Sexuality
Legal
Mathematics
Optical Finishing Technology
Photography
Printing
Psychology
Religion/Catholic
Science/General
Science/Biology
Science/Physics
Secretarial (under revision)
Social Work
Sports/General
Televisions/Media
Theater

In addition to VTs, the TSP resulted in the development and publication
of 11 books. These books include(d) 9 of the 26 areas for TSP VTs, with
signs in these books being depicted in the same order as presented on
the VTs for each technical area.

Since the end of the TSP in 1992, work has continued at NTID on a
project-by-project basis to update and expand the materials produced by
the TSP. This work has included updating and expansion of the TSP
secretarial videotapes and the production of two new books, all of
which have drawn heavily from TSP materials. The first of these books,
Signs for Science and Mathematics: A Resource Book for Teachers and
Students (Caccamise & Lang, 1996), includes signs from TSP Manual 3:
Mathematics  and Manual 10: Science, with updating as appropriate. This
book, which is designed to support the NTID Access to English and
Science Outreach Project (AESOP), also includes a selected reading list
on science and mathematics education and D/deaf students. The second
book, Signs for Legal and Social Work Terminology (Caccamise, Mitchell,
Herald, Reeves, & Burch, 1998), includes signs from Technical Signs
Manual 9: Social Work and Manual 11: Legal, again with updating as
appropriate. This second book also includes information from the
National Association of the Deaf Law Center (NADLC) and from the
Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID). Information from RID
focuses on preparation and skills important to interpreting in legal
settings.

NTID sign language books for technical communication currently
available are listed below....

Obtaining Materials
Available for purchase from:

1. Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Bookstore, 48 Lomb Memorial
Drive, Rochester, NY 14623-5604, 716-475-2504 (V), x7071 (TTY), x6499
(Fax)

2. Harris Communications, 15159 Technology Drive, Eden Prairie, MN
55344-2277, 800-825-6758 (V), x9187 (TTY), 612-906-1099 (Fax)

3. National Association of the Deaf (NAD) Bookstore, 814 Thayer Avenue,
Silver Spring, MD 20910-4500, 301-587-6282 (V), x6282 (TTY), x4823
(Fax).


  Books currently available include:

Project Overview and Reading Technical Sign Diagrams: Overview of
principles and process used in developing NTID sign language materials
for technical communication and description of system used for
representing signs in NTID sign language books for technical
communication. $10
Communication: Audiology & Speech Pathology $10
Career Education  $10
English  $6
Legal & Social Work (now combined)  $25
Religion/Catholic  $15
Theater  $15
Science & Mathematics  $25
Social Work  $10


For more information about Sign Language Materials for Technical
Communication, contact:

Dr. Frank Caccamise
fccncr at rit.edu.