Signs in Which Handshape and Hand
Orientation Are Either Not or Are Only Partially Visible: What Is the
Consequence for Lexical Recognition?
We present the results of an experiment on lexical recognition of human sign
language signs in which the available perceptual information about handshape and
hand orientation was manipulated. Stimuli were videos of signs from Sign
Language of the Netherlands (SLN). The videos were processed to create four
conditions: (1) one in which neither handshape nor hand orientation could be
observed, (2) one in which hand orientation could be extracted but not handshape,
(3) one in which an approximation of the handshape could be seen, and (4) one
where the video was unmodified. In general, recognition of the signs was almost
impossible in the first two conditions, while condition 3 showed a rise in
recognition rate to about 60 percent However, some signs were recognized well
even in conditions 1 and 2. Their success rate cannot be linked to a single sign
property but seems to be due to a combination of factors. In general, handshape
information appears more salient for resolving the lexical meaning of a sign
than hand orientation.
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Deaf on the Lifeline of Mumbai
This article is a result of my MSc Deaf Studies dissertation that is situated on
an intersection between Deaf geography, anthropology and Deafhood theory. During
five weeks of participatory observation and interviews in Mumbai, my attention
was drawn to the city�s lifeline: the suburban train system.
It appeared that
Deaf people tend to travel in specific compartments for people with disabilities
that were set up about eight years ago. They started to use these
compartments�and also the train platforms�as important meeting places. The
article explains how this evolved and the reasons for traveling in compartments
for disabled people rather than in general train compartments�reasons that have
nothing to do with a �deficit� perspective on deafness.
Not only has this way of traveling several sociocultural consequences that
appear to strengthen links in the Mumbai Deaf community; in addition the
visibility of signing Deaf groups has caused a growth in Deaf awareness among
hearing people in these �disabled� compartments in particular and at the train
stations in general. It is because of Mumbai�s geography, its resulting
population density and the heavy use of suburban trains unique for this city,
that these several different effects were so strongly spread in both the Deaf
community and among hearing people.
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The 2006 Protest at Gallaudet University:
Reflections and Explanations
Events leading to the selection of Jane Fernandes as Gallaudet University�s
ninth president in May 2006 are described, as are protest-related activities
that occurred subsequent to her selection. An explanation of these activities is
offered, and some comparisons with the Deaf President Now protest of 1988 are
made.
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