A new era

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
April 2, 2007

On Apr 2, 2007, at 10:44 AM, Adam Frost wrote:
> I feel so lucky. This past weekend and the beginning half of this week
> I am with Val. She has been teaching me all of the improvements that
> Steve has done with SignPuddle. Wow! He has done such a wonderful job.
> Now Val and I are working together and I am asking all sorts of
> questions about the SignWriting system that have either been vague or
> confusing for me. I am even more excited now because she has invited
> me to be a member of the DAC. She and I have talked about what my job
> will be. Needless to say, I am very excited to work more closely to
> make my dream of having my language be a written language with a
> library of literary works. Just thought that I'd drop a quick note to
> the list so that you know what is going on (and maybe why Val seems
> quiet because she and I are working a lot behind the scenes. ;-)
> Adam
-----------------

Hello Everyone!

Wow. I see that Adam just posted a really great message...Ha! He is  
here in my home and we took a break and he posted that message!

Isn't email great?!!

So here is my report... a longer one!

The CUNY Conference has finished and it was very enjoyable. The  
conference was a mixture of researchers who were studying the psycho  
and neuro-linguistics of spoken languages, and the same for signed  
languages. So many of the presentations had nothing to do with signed  
languages, but on Friday last week, they dedicated one day to the  
signed language research. I met a lot of new people who had never  
heard of SignWriting. We also had long conversations with researchers  
who do work with signed languages, and who are interested in using  
the new SignPuddle 1.5 server-software. That was very valuable  
information for all of us, because we also learned about various  
research projects and what they need from us, if they choose to work  
with a SignWriting databases.

Kelly Jo Boal from Alberta, Canada, helped us at the SignWriting  
table and also attended the conference. Kelly Jo flew home today.  
Yesterday we had a SignWriting workshop, and we all learned how to  
use the PocketPuddle...lots of fun!

We also have videotapes of Deaf storytelling. One of them, is Darline  
Clark Gunsauls signing the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty in ASL...a  
very full and animated storytelling that was not a translation, but a  
direct telling of the story in ASL...It has never been transcribed  
into SignWriting, so Kelly Jo has offered to do that project. THANK  
YOU, Kelly Jo, for this offer of your time...we need more literature  
so this is a great help!

Adam Frost (see above) also attended the end of the CUNY Conference,  
and was in the workshop yesterday. Adam is still staying with me and  
will be here until Wednesday. Adam will be working on the ASL  
definitions project...that is...to define each ASL sign in ASL, in  
both the SignPuddle dictionary, and also in SignBank...the  
definitions in ASL can be written with SignText in SignPuddle  
1.5...so the new software is just perfect for this task!

We had a surprise visit yesterday from another DAC member - Kevin  
Clark!! Kevin stopped by with his Deaf mom, and we all had lunch  
together, discussing the idea of publishing books in ASL in  
SignWriting. Kevin has accepted working with the DAC again, after a  
decade, and suggested that we call our new publishing group the  
SignWriting Publishing Company! We all agreed that was a great  
name...of course it will still be under the non-profit so we can  
raise funds that way through foundation grants, but the SignWriting  
Publishing Co gives a name to the project of publishing literature in  
written signed languages.

And last I want to thank Steve Slevinski for this outstanding new  
software...It is amazing, Steve...THANK YOU! Your hard work has  
really paid off ....we are already benefiting from the new features  
in SignPuddle 1.5...and everyone has expressed how much they love it...

We sold five PocketPuddles so far...two to people in New Mexico, one  
to Canada, one in Los Angeles and Ron in Michigan, and others are  
waiting for theirs...so it is exciting!

I will post more information about SignPuddle servers later today...

So now Adam and I must get back to work on writing ASL definitions!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Val ;-)