[Sw-l] meeting Deaf friends on FaceTime

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
February 23, 2022

Hello Dale Spoor and James Shepard-Kegl,
...and everyone writing Nicaraguan Sign Language -

Thank you for this detailed report, Dale. It is inspiring. I am happy to know that reading and writing Nicaraguan Sign Language continues after all these years! So amazing  - we are grateful that Darline Clark-Gunsauls could be a part of the beginning of that back in 1996 - and of course James is so strong and has written so much literature over so many years. Kudos, James!

Wonderful if a new generation of writers and teachers can keep the legacy going - we are not getting any younger, are we Dale?

Here are some new postings for SignWriting in Nicaragua:

Recent Postings in Nicaraguan Sign Language
https://www.signwriting.org/#RecentPostingsNicaragua



Val ;-)

--------

> On Feb 23, 2022, at 6:14 PM, Dale Spoor <dale.spoor27 at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> Since James Kegl's name and Nicaragua came up here in this conversation,  I thought I'd take this opportunity to fill you in a little.  Currently James (in Maine) and Tomasa Gonzalez (in Nicaragua) conduct  a two-hour Zoom workshop every week with three deaf students on our sister island, Ometepe, which is located in Lake Nicaragua.  These three students recently graduated from the high school on Ometepe, with the assistance of our interpreter Cláribel Guttierrez, who also attends these workshops.  Our office staff manages the technology.  In addition to the continuing education they are receiving, these sessions will help them acquire more vocabulary and will also have a huge impact on improving their narrative skills. Tomasa does most of the signing, while James manages a set of many visuals that he has collected to illustrate.  Sometimes he shows clips of a Hollywood movie.  The classes so far have focused on a lot of different topics: literature (Moby Dick), biblical stories (David and Goliath), Greek and Roman myths and origin stories, history (Harriet Tubman, Columbus), children's stories, and others, like various people who have had an impact in world history.   The plan is to continue these workshops for at least this year, or until James runs out of new topics.  James' (and my) hope is that these three young people and Cláribel will be able to pass on this knowledge to others in the deaf community on Ometepe, and/or to others in Nicaragua (two of them plan to begin studying next year to become teachers of Nicaraguan Sign Language). I am hopelessly inept with Nicaraguan Sign Language, so my presence there is not of much use.  But I often join the workshops just to keep in touch and see what is going on.  I have to say, it's pretty amazing and wonderful to see James and Tomasa in action!
> 
> Dale Spoor, Chair
> Special Needs Committee
> Bainbridge Ometepe Sister Islands Association
> ______

> On Wed, Feb 23, 2022 at 4:52 PM Adam Frost <icemandeaf at gmail.com> wrote:
> That is great that they will be coming to see you in person! Tell them hi for me. :-)
> 
> I haven’t seen them in so long. I think the last time I saw them was several years ago. Has it been close to 10 years now?!  Ekk!! And to think we live in the same city. Ha!
> 
> I see some of the others that were DAC members along with them from time to time. Many have gone to do various other things in their lives, but it is still nice to see them now and then.
> 
> Speaking of seeing old DAC members, I will be presenting tomorrow as a guest lecturer for another class along with Cindy (O'Grady Batch) Farnady. I will be sure to tell her hi for you.
> 
> <namesign.png>
> Adam
> ________

>> On Feb 23, 2022, at 3:50 PM, Valerie Sutton <sutton at SIGNWRITING.ORG> wrote:
>> 
>> SignWriting List
>> February 23, 2022
>> 
>> Hello everybody on the SignWriting List!
>> 
>> I have been on a FaceTime with Deaf friends for several hours today, both in the morning and the afternoon and I have another FaceTime coming up in 15 minutes. Great experience!
>> 
>> Do you remember this old newsletter? It was written in 1998 but actually I have known my friends in this newsletter since 1996:
>> 
>> SignWriting Newsletter Spring 1998
>> https://www.signwriting.org/library/newsletter/news001.html
>> 
>> <Image.png>
>> 
>> And they are coming to see me in person in a couple of weeks, in mid March! Can't wait to see them again.
>> 
>> Darline is the ASL storyteller for our children’s stories series:
>> 
>> Learn to Read American Sign Language in SignWriting
>> https://www.signwriting.org/lessons/readasl/
>> 
>> Darline also taught SignWriting in Nicaragua -
>> https://www.signwriting.org/nicaragua/nic001.html
>> 
>> Thank you James and Judy Shepard-Kegl for inviting Darline to teach there - she send her best wishes  - Hope all if going well for you in Nicaragua -
>> 
>> Val ;-)


________________________________________________


SIGNWRITING LIST INFORMATION

Valerie Sutton
SignWriting List moderator
sutton at signwriting.org

Post Messages to the SignWriting List:
sw-l at listserv.valenciacollege.edu

SignWriting List Archives & Home Page
http://www.signwriting.org/forums/swlist

Join, Leave or Change How You Receive SW List Messages
http://listserv.valenciacollege.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=SW-L&A=1
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/sw-l/attachments/20220223/8c5c65b7/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Valerie_Signature_5.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 16340 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/sw-l/attachments/20220223/8c5c65b7/attachment.jpg>