Designing an American Sign Language Avatar for Learning Computer Science Concepts for Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Students and Deaf Interpreters

摘要

The current learning process of Deaf or Hard of Hearing (D/ HH) students taking Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses needs, in general, a sign interpreter for the translation of English text into American Sign Language (ASL) signs. This method is at best impractical due to the lack of availability of a specialized sign interpreter and at worst nearly valueless as complex STEM concepts do not yet have an associated meaningful ASL sign. This paper describes a practical software signing avatar, called Lamar University's Signing Avatar (LUSA). This paper evaluates how the D/HH students and sign interpreters acquire knowledge of complex Computer Science concepts using LUSA. Similar projects that use signing avatars in a learning process focus on K-8 grade concepts. LUSA will establish a new form of direct instruction that can be extended to other courses at universities with D/HH students and interpreters.