Report from Portugal (Long)

[frost at SIGNWRITING.ORG]

I just wanted let you all know what happened in Portugal the past week that
I have been there. I arrived in Lisbon, Portugal on Sept 7. I had a nice
relaxing time on the beach while we waited for others to arrive for a
lunch, which became a dinner. The people there were those that would be
giving presentations at conferences that were connected with the workshop
that would be given by me. We had people from Brazil, Washington DC, and
from Israel. So we had ASL, English, Portuguese, LIBRAS, and a couple of
hearing people who had been learning LGP (Língua Gestual Português), ISL
(Israeli Sign Language), and ABSL (Al-Sayyid Bedouins Sign Language: a
newly found nomad tribe who had a high population of deaf people). Of that
group, I was the only one that was Deaf, but it was a nice relaxing dinner
from long flights that we all had. 

Then I stayed the night over at Ana Mineiro's beautiful home with her
daughter and son. Ana was our contact and the main reason that this was
made possible for me to go to Portugal. She and her children are not deaf,
but they have been learning LGP (Língua Gestual Português). They tried
their best to communicate with me and I feel that they did a good job. 

The next day, we went to the University that Ana works at (Universidade
Catolica Portuguesa, Instituto de Ceincias da Saude) and was the one that
paid for me to got there. There we had a conference where those that I had
met including others from Lisbon who gave different presentations related
to Sign Language Linguistics. It was nice to see that there was a large
group of Deaf people who were in the audience. It was interesting that they
had interpreters who would interpret from English (I don't know, but it
seems that the academic language in Portugal is English) to LGP. Then from
there Amilcar, who is Deaf and was sitting next to me, mirrored the
interpreter to Claudia who then translated it into the best ASL she could.
Claudia, who is also Deaf, was born in the US and when to a school for the
deaf until she was 11 after which her family eventually moved back to
Portugal. She mixed ASL, international signs, and LGP together. Because I
knew the subject well, I could pick up the signs that she was using that I
didn't know from ASL. That was the whole day with lunch being provided for
in a really nice faculty area for those that we presenting/interpreting or
anything related. 

I then meet with Amilcar and Isabel, his Deaf sister who I would be staying
the rest of the time with. The three of us then went to Ana's home for a
dinner. There we talked some more and communication between myself and Ana
went a little easier since Amilcar and Isabel both know fairly good amount
of ASL. Then the three of us went to Isabel's home where I met her husband,
also Deaf, and their 10 month old son. They gave me their son's future room
when he would be old enough to sleep in a separate room to sleep in. Jorge,
Isabel's husband, joked that I was there just to break in the room for the
baby.

Wednesday came for me to give the first day of the workshop. I was
surprised that there was such a big group, most of whom were Deaf, is the
average size class room. It was an adventure getting the room set up to
make it so that everyone could see each other as well as have the same
setting up for the three interpreters. I was also surprised that this was
only the first half of two groups. I thought that I would be giving a four
part workshop to one group. It turned out that it would be a two day
workshop to two different groups, 4 hours in the morning and 4 hours in the
afternoon.

The first day I gave a very brief history of SignWriting, and then went
right into asking them for signs to write. Then I would explain the symbols
that were used. I also was able to pick up LPG that way. The two groups
were amazed that I could write various signs without even really knowing
what they meant. They would also ask questions about a symbol here and
there, or why something was this way and not that -- the normal questions
that people ask when they are learning.

The Thursday workshop was when I took signs from the ASL puddle that I knew
that they had in their Sign Language, and I would ask them to read them.
Many of them would try to tell me the signs from reading the English, but I
knew that the signs meant something different in LGP. After they finally
understood that I wanted them to read the signs written, they realized that
the meanings were not the same. It also lead to some interesting comparison
of the two languages. Then once they started reading each signs fairly
well, I moved on the sentences, which were ASL sentences. That was a little
difficult since they didn't have the language knowledge to backup their
reading, but they were able to get very close. Then of course they wanted
to know the translations. Then I showed them where to go online to use
SignPuddle as well as lessons on the SignWriting website and join the list.
I even showed them my blog in SW. They were amazed with all of the
information that was online. The last group was a little quite, so I even
got them to come up and write first "D" and then Portugal without my
touching anything. I did help them remember what symbols meant what, but
they collaborated as a group to get it written correctly. There were
several suggestions that were made that I helped them realize they had
choices because they meant the same thing.

Then Friday was a "free" day from workshops and presentations, so I went
with my new Deaf friends to the school for the deaf, a second opportunity
center for deaf/blind/and deaf-blind people to find jobs, and then to the
Deaf Association where I met several more Deaf people. It was very
interesting to see that they were very similar to the deaf groups that I
know here in California. I almost forgot that I was in a different country
with them.

Saturday was a half day with presentations for a different conference, SLE
at the Universidade de Lisboa, that was "Listening to Silent Languages" for
that day in that one room. The presentations were mostly the same as the
ones that were given on Tuesday with a few new ones. By this day, I was
very tired since I was going almost non-stop, and so were my Deaf
Interpreters. Deb Chan and Diane from Gallaudet interpreted for me from ASL
to English so that there would be less lag time as well as less errors
since all of the attendees were hearing at the conference. They asked the
typical what is it for, why use it, and such. I answered them all with such
clarity that they were amazed mainly because they thought I knew very
little of their topic since I am not a linguist. Then I was asked how they
can learn it, which I showed them how. So it was left on a very good and
supportive note. 

Ana had wanted to have another meal with everyone, but we were all
exhausted, so she canceled much to my delight even though I would have
loved to been able to see everyone again one last time. After a relaxing
nap, Jorge and I sat in his living room adding more signs into SignPuddle.
I was so great to see his eagerness as well as the light turn on when he
understood something.

Then Sunday morning I left missing all the new friends I had made and
arrive back to California Sunday evening. I would love to go back again for
a longer time to see everyone again as well to be able to see more of the
beautiful country. It will be an experience I will never forget. And not
just because it was my first time out of the US.

Adam



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