Fingerspelling

Web Based Project

Sponsored by:
Battelle Endowment for Technology
and Human Affairs (BETHA)

PI: Brian Rotman

Staff: Matthew Lewis, ACCAD

Students:
Brandon Morse, Department of Art
Peter Gerstmann, ACCAD
Liza McConnell, Department of Art
Barb Olsafsky, School of Educatioal Policy and Leadership

Project: To construct a computer program for fingerspelling in American Sign Language (ASL) which would benefit:

1.Educational Practice: giving ASL learners an interactive software tool designed to make the acquisition of fingerspelling easier and more attractive;

2.Research: contributing to the investigation of dynamical effects occurring within and between signs;

3.Socialization: Facilitating the entry of deaf students into mainstream culture by simultaneously enhancing their literacy in English and appreciation of technology.

The program shows a virtual hand, able to fingerspell any English word. The interface allows the user to control the position in space from which the image is viewed, as well as its appearance (size, lighting, rendering) and dynamic presentation (speed, acceleration, degree of hold). The construction of the program uses the existing animation and 3-D modeling resources of ACCAD.