kind of a symposium report by Lucy

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
August 11, 2005

THANK YOU, Lucyna, for your report. Great to see a report about the  
Symposium....I hope others will write one too....Val ;-)

-----------------------------


On Aug 11, 2005, at 7:58 AM, Lucyna Dlugolecka wrote:

> Hello List!
> Nobody have written a report on the symposium in Brussels yet, so,  
> I, encouraged by Valerie and Stefan, have written some remarks.  
> They look like complaints but they are no complaints, just remarks  
> by a person who didn't really realize what was going on. Hopefully  
> they will be helpful for future reference
>
> Well, before the symposium we were told via e-mail that there would  
> be two workshops groups at the symposium, the spelling one held by  
> Stefan and Sara, and the computer workshops held by Lars and  
> Daniel. Well, I wanted to participate in all the workshops in order  
> to write an article for Swiat Ciszy afterwards. But Kathleen  
> informed me it wouldn’t be possible as the spelling and the  
> computer workshops would take place simultaneously, so I wrote to  
> Kathleen I would be sitting on spelling the first day and on  
> computers the second day.
> But on place I saw a list at the white board with my name put under  
> the spelling workshop for both the first and second days. I told  
> Kathleen there was a mistake and she said I should correct it, so I  
> transferred my name to the computer workshop that was to be held  
> the second day.
> Well, the first day I was sitting for the spelling lesson held by  
> Stefan and Sara. I could follow Stefan very well but what he was  
> teaching I and most of other participants were familiar with.  
> Stefan was teaching so as if we were kids. It was valuable in a way  
> as we could see how children are taught but for on the other hand  
> it was boring to us. A film showing the teaching of SW to young  
> pupils would be as valuable too but we (at least I) wanted to  
> discuss some deeper issues.
> Well, the same day there was also a computer workshop by Lars and I  
> went to it as I just wanted to see what would happen there and so  
> on and I hoped to learn something too as some time before I had  
> downloaded Lars’ program but it did not work on my computer. But it  
> was so that Lars was speaking English, and one of the ISL  
> interpreters was interpreting Lars but I could not follow him as  
> both the interpreters spoke (signed) a language quite foreign to  
> me. Daniel was sitting there by me and I asked him to do something  
> with Python so that it could work but he failed.
> (at last Lars helped me during a break - thank you, Lars!)
> The next day there was new grouping but I had only a faint idea of  
> it and in order to make sure of the groups (as far as I could  
> understand, there were 3 groups then) I asked Stefan, using some  
> signs and English words, if he was going the teach the basics  
> again. He agreed so I followed another group as I didn’t want to  
> exercise the basics in the childish way again…
> I know very well I was not prepared very well for the meeting but  
> the fact was also that I did not know how I should be prepared as  
> it was the first international SL users meeting in my life…
> After all, I hoped for some more written English information as  
> written English is the easiest way to communicate with foreigners.  
> Those who could not understand the International Sign, could hear  
> and understand spoken English and I could not understand either  
> this or that. I felt adrift… (Val told me she was expected to  
> prepare more materials in SW but do not forget: in order to read in  
> ASL you must know ASL!)
> I think, if I participated in the Maastricht congress, I would have  
> some time to learn the International Sign as I did in Brussels but  
> the symposium lasted only 2 days, too few to learn much although  
> the third day, after the symposium, it was much easier to me to  
> communicate with Daniel, Ingvild and Ulrike at the hotel and in the  
> city of Brussels (I met Daniel in the city on Saturday). But  
> communicating in person is not the same yet as “listening” to a  
> speech...
> Stefan, you were confused because I did not ask for more when you  
> saw my signs written incorrect. Well, it was during the break and I  
> did not want to take your time, I know we all were tired, more or  
> less. Most of you came from Maastricht, some (including me) did not  
> sleep very well at that hotel in Groot Bijgaarden and some few  
> (especially me) came from afar, by air and I did not felt very well  
> after the flight, especially after the flight from Brussels to  
> Warsaw, unfortunately.
> And now I have a problem.
> I have promised my boss to write an article about the symposium for  
> the Swiat Ciszy magazine. In order to do it I need your help (or  
> does anyone want to be a co-author of it?)
> 1. What is the exact number of participants and what countries did  
> they
> represent? (I've got a list but it's incomplete or out of date,  
> perhaps).
> 2. What about the European SignWriter Organisation? Has it been  
> already
> established? Was it a SW or ESWO symposium at all?
> 3. When and where will be the next SW/WSWO symposium?
> 4. What were the main issues raised by the participants?
> I would be grateful if you answered these questions in brief. I may  
> have some more questions later.
> Lucy
>
>
>
> GG 3618151 SMS +48505273292   MSN deafie at gmx.net
>

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