Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!26!Jack.O'keeffe
From: Jack.O'keeffe@f26.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Jack O'keeffe)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: question RE signers and signing
Message-ID: <17006@bunker.UUCP>
Date: 17 Jan 91 15:18:00 GMT
Sender: wtm@bunker.UUCP
Reply-To: Jack.O'keeffe@f26.n129.z1.fidonet.org
Distribution: misc
Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/26 - SoundingBoard, Pittsburgh PA
Lines: 55
Approved: wtm@bunker.UUCP

Index Number: 13019

[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]

 FO>      Am I correct in my assumption (that most signers can
 FO>  lipread) in your experience?  If you don't have an answer to
 FO>  this but someone else reading this does, I'd appreciate your
 FO>  info/input. It's not that I'm adverse to including some of
 FO>  these in my program, but I may not be able to do all, and my
 FO>  thought is that it may not be necessary in order for an EMS
 FO>  person to be able to assist a deaf/signing person.

Fran, speechreading (lipreading) ability varies widely.  Even very
good speechreaders (like me, haha) find it impossible to read some
individuals.  Medical people can be among the worst.  There is an
MD from Houston, Dr. Red Duke, who has an UNcaptioned television
spot that a local station picks up.  Dr. Red has a bushy mustache
and a mumbling drawl.  I challenge anyone to speechread Dr. Red.

The problem of communicating with medical personnel at all levels
is well recognized.  I believe that hearing people experience this
difficulty also.  But I would really hate to see Sign Friends
encumbered with a flock of narrowly specialized signs that would
be used so infrequently.  These signs might do more harm than good.
The fact that you are having difficulty locating the appropriate
signs must tell you something re their frequency of use and degree
of understanding, even within the signing deaf community.

Sign Friends does support fingerspelling, and I think this may be
the answer.  IMHO, most EMS personnel should be willing to learn
fingerspelling, and this is a reliable way of communicating with
signers, whether or not they are able to speechread.

The proposal to add arcane specialized vocabulary to Sign Friends
was, no doubt, well intentioned.  But it is does not impress me as
a good idea.  Don't do it.

Re: release 4.0.  You have been so good about keeping me updated
on your frequent releases of Sign Friends, and I really appreciate
your efforts.  But you go way above and beyond what other shareware
authors do.  You really shouldn't go to the trouble (and expense)
of mailing me a copy of each new release, especially now that
Sign Friends is available thru SDN.  If you announce new releases
in SilentTalk, and give us the SDN filename, that is all that can
be expected of you.  Once Sign Friends gets the hundreds (thousands)
of paid registrations that it so richly deserves, your direct mail
distribution could become quite burdensome.

Best wishes to you and yours for a Happy New Year.

... Jack.

--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!26!Jack.O'keeffe
Internet: Jack.O'keeffe@f26.n129.z1.fidonet.org