| Introduction
At present the Pakistan sign language
(PSL) contains approximately 4000 different gestures for common
words. Unfortunately however, the deaf community in the country
is divided due to the difference in sign languages used, and ways
to teach deaf children in schools. These isolated communities of
deaf people have developed their own dialects that are not easily
understood by others.
Under the current Project, SDNP working
on its agenda of using ICTs for development, will research and implicate
technology based PSL learning solutions for deaf. These ICT tools
will on one hand be unifying the meaning of signs and at the same
time defining a standard way of performing a sign.
Working on the project along with SDNP-IUCN is a nationwide net
of experts that are mostly deaf people, teachers of the deaf, and
hearing people that know sign language. This team has been researching
the development of PSL for the past several years and has conducted
on site investigations all over the country about deaf peoples'
mode of communication, sign language in various schools for the
deaf in the four provinces, interpreters, and other areas of interest
led by Pakistan Association of the Deaf (PAD - a leading deaf association
in Pakistan), which is one of the principal advocate of PSL.
The project proposal rationale, objectives,
and plan of work are covered in detail in the Project Proposal.
For details click: http://www.apdip.net/ictrnd/ictdeaf.asp
Aims
Largely the aim is to alleviate barriers to
communication between the deaf and the hearing worlds through the
Project. Since ICTs are predominantly the fastest and most cost-effective
mode for communication, animated sign language provision through
on-line (Internet) and off-line (CDs) means will allow easy accessibility
to all deaf and to the hearing people who are in daily contact with
the deaf. This will promote not only active deaf participation in
self-development but also pave the way to their inclusion in the
life of their communities.
Project Design
The project has been designed to go through
three phases.
Phase 1 Survey and collection of Pakistani Sign Language (PSL) symbols.
The compilation was scheduled for the initial four months and stands
completed. The Phase implicated research; collection and documentation
of existing/ new PSL symbols from all over Pakistan. formulation
of new PSL for environment terms was carried out by Pakistan Association
of the Deaf in collaboration with SDNP-IUCN. (PSL Seminar). As part
of the Phase 1 following series of documents was produced:
Document 1: Hearing Impairment - Causes & Implications
on Behavior & Learning
Document 2: Pakistan Sign Language - A Synopsis
Document 3: Pakistan Sign Language Collated Data Sets
The first document provides information on causes
of hearing impairment and its implications on communication and
suggests interventions for improving the learning of deaf. In the
second document, a literature review of Pakistan Sign Language,
the recognized mode of communication of the Pakistani deaf, is presented
amalgamating the milestone developments in the language to date.
Representative data sets from those given in Document 2 are classified
in the third report. The collated data sets will be used in developing
ICT learning packs for deaf community.
Complete Study will be made available for dissemination
to assist the user community and to link researchers with their
target groups.
Phase 2 CD-ROM production & research on impact
of ICT assisted learning / teaching of Deaf - Spread over a 5-month
period, Phase 2 is currently underway.
Phase 3 Wider research on impact of ICT assisted learning
/ teaching of
Deaf - This is scheduled to be started in September 2003.
This project has two basic research and development
objectives. First, we had proposed to conduct an analysis to integrate
a representative set of Pakistan Sign Language symbols through collation
of existing and development of new signs. This would set the basis
for the next two phases, which would simulate these symbols on offline
(CD) and online (web) mediums and review through a micro and a macro
level research respectively, the relative efficiency and effectiveness
of variants of information technology as a communication medium
and learning instrument for deaf in Pakistan. |
