The seminar introduced to the participants the research project throwing light on how ICTs open up a new world for Sign Language users. In effect, to communicate proper nouns and obscure words PSL uses finger spelling as other sign languages and also has its own vocabulary of signs for full words. Multimedia technology thus is an ideal medium for presentation and learning of such gestural knowledge.

The need for developing Environmental PSL as part of the educational packs for the deaf of Pakistan was accentuated in view of IUCN's goals of sustaining development. A presentation by Zohra Rehmatali (Coordinator -Education Programme, IUCN) about the relevance of environmental knowledge as part of Deaf education enlightened the participants with the critical need for environmental education for sustaining development amongst all society's sections of which the hearing-impaired constitute an unquestionable portion. A sign language interpreter from Pakistan Association of the Deaf facilitated the introductory session.

The seminar was well-represented gathering together sign language experts from nine cities of the country namely Larkana, Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sukkur, Sargodha, Hasilpur, Pind Dadenkhan, & Bahawalpur. The sessions to devise national Pakistani sign language (environment & grammar terms) that all are capable of learning and understanding were led by experts from Pakistan Association of the Deaf. During the course of the two days spent on developing and standardizing new Sign Language, participants emphasized the value of signing for teaching the deaf children & also mutually agreed that deaf people needed signing for communication even though some of them had speech and were fluent with their oral communication.

The working sessions of the seminar were most intensive and interactive. Selected environmental terms were provided by IUCN to PAD in advance, which PAD shared with the representatives of deaf associations, and teachers of hearing impaired children all over Pakistan so as to provide ample time to them to come prepared in the seminar. Each sign for the environmental terms was discussed and agreed upon by common consensus before being finalized and recorded. Each participant's analysis was included to represent a sign. Important regional variations were also recorded. Subsequently, a compendium of 55 new environmental signs was produced. In later sessions new signs on grammar and several other themes were also standardized. A memorandum of understanding was signed between P.A.D. & the participants once all signs were finalized. A professional artist was engaged for illustrating the signs developed and standardized.

The participants were full involved in the Seminar and contributed their ideas and feelings openly. There were discussions on the current status of sign language existing in Pakistan and also how different provinces used the sign language words and grammar in sign language. There was insufficient time to discuss policy and teacher education issues, although they were referred to throughout. The promotion of inclusion in the family for deaf people was highlighted as a pre-requisite for successful inclusion in education and in society and the benefits of employing deaf adults in the classrooms in deaf schools was highlighted.

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