December 7, 1988
ANTOINE ROUMANOS, D.E.S.S.
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
SAINT-JOSEPH UNIVERSITY
BEIRUT, LEBANON
&
JAMES WOODWARD, Ph. D.
RESEARCH SCIENTIST
GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY
WASHINGTON D.C., U.S.A.
1- PROJECT OVERVIEW
The purpose of this project is to collect, analyze and catalogue data on the Sign Language used by the Deaf people in Lebanon, to train people to continue research on the Sign Language, and to train others to teach it. The project will have three main outputs: a dictionary on Lebanese Sign Language (LSL), a book on the organization and the grammar of LSL, and a set of materials to teach LSL to deaf students, hearing parents, hearing professionals who work with deaf people, and other interested parties.
The project also includes training for a linguist, a speech therapist, and a deaf teacher in Lebanon in the methodology of sign language research.
The project is designed to be implemented in 2 major phases. The first phase has four steps and is concerned with the compilation of signs and the study of the basic grammatical components of LSL. The second phase has 6 steps and is concerned with an in-depth study of the organization of LSL messages, the creation of teaching material and the training of LSL teachers.
2- PROBLEM STATEMENT
The collective approach to the education of deaf children is relatively recent. In the 18th. century, l'Abb�e Charles-Michel De l'Ep�e, guided at first by humanitarian considerations, began to receive deaf children at his home in Paris, and tried to help them. He quickly discovered that he needed a specific way to communicate with them, and especially to give them the appropriate instruction. He observed carefully, their gesture; he compiled signs and finally created and taught what he called the methodic signs which was the first sign language in the world.
At the same time, German practices, first individualized, then collective, stressed firmly and exclusively on oralism. For the upholders of this approach, teaching signs can compromise any attempt to learn the community language to the children and compromise their social integration.
In Europe, the Milano Congress held in 1880, gave definitive victory to the aerialists. Gesture and signs were condemned, deaf teachers lost their jobs in schools. Children have to be refrained from signing at any cost, and some practices were more related to torture than to educative attitudes and actions.
Banished in Europe, the gestural method found a peaceful shelter in the USA. It traveled by the means of a deaf student of DE l'Esp�e by the name of Laurent Clerc. The method flourished and gave fundamental basis to the pedagogic practices that are still used till the present.
But the European upholders of oral methods have always noticed that, if it was possible to teach without gestures and signs, it is practically impossible to refrain deaf people from signing and using what could be called their mother tongue to communicate. Deaf persons continued to use gesture as the only channel of communication or as an auxiliary channel to fit the oral expression.
Since the early 60's, deaf and hearing people, first in America, but then in Europe as well, went on studying in detail the gesture used by deaf people to communicate. Researches revealed soon that the communication means used by deaf were a language strictu sensu. The sign language is build on the same frame as other languages in the world: arbitrary link between significant and signifier and the double articulation as noticed by De Saussure. The sign language has two main components: First, the manual alphabet or the finger-spelling, used to spell names, places or words that don't have any equivalent sign. The second component is the sign language in which words or concepts are conveyed. The sign language has its own linguistic integrity and is widely recognized as a legitimate linguistic system.
The pedagogical successes of the American practices have led Europeans to reanalyze their practices, and to abolish progressively the decisions on the Milano Congress. Gesture reappeared in specialized classrooms, and experimental researches are undertaken to verify the hypothesis that sign language is a factor that facilitated learning of the oral language because it enables the deaf to enter easily and more effectively in the linguistic system. When the basis of the codification are established and learned, the transference from a code (sign) to another code (oral or written language) is much easier. Several sets of arguments backs up those assertions:
a- Psychological arguments: To recognize a status to sign language as a language is to see the deaf person in his difference and not to resign in seeing him only in his deficiency, to stress his ability and not his disability. One can easily imagine the positive consequences of that attitude on the acceptation of the deaf by his family, and in the growth of his self concept. Gesture is the only way that enables the family to communicate smoothly, in joy and mutual contentment and to install an atmosphere of easy communication preventing parents from confining themselves in the role of teachers instead of the role of real loving parents.
b- Linguistic arguments: Only sign language permits the deaf an access to all the characteristics of the verbal languages; communicate without obstacles, play with signs as the hearing child plays with words, obtain a visual feed-back, identify to vis-�-vis, express freely, take position in the inter-subjective relation inside what the exchange take place and finally discover the rules of the conversation. Only sign languages permits the natural and normal access to the language (as any system of representation) in the frame of parent-child relation and at the same time the hearing person accedes to oral languages. That is why several studies have emphasized on the so called biological timing and the critical period to the acquisition of language.
c- Social arguments: When using their mother tongue, deaf persons can identify to each other, and they do not have to misconsider themselves among hearing persons. They could become more vigilant and more observous of their culture. Furthermore their cultural identity will really contribute in their better achievements and better integration inside the whole community.
Teaching deaf people has been one of the most challenging and perplexing issues in education. Numerous methodologies and philosophies have been employed in an effort to find a solution to this problem.
During the last years, in the field of deaf education, the concept of Total Communication has aroused as a kind of philosophy integrating appropriate oral, manual and oral mode of communication. It also includes mime gesture, reading, writing and other means promoting communication. The Total Communication philosophy is officially endorsed by the World Federation of the DEAF. It deeply influenced the education of the deaf by setting positive changes in the growing adaptation of the Total Communication approach in many programs and many countries all over the world.
Many schools for deaf children throughout the word already include some of these strategies. However, quite frequently, the missing strategy is Sign language used by the local deaf people. The situation is that a great deal of teachers and principals in the schools for the deaf are hearing persons and the methodology is still completely oralistic; the hearing people usually does not know the Sign language used by the deaf so they can introduce it in their educative approach. On the other hand, deaf people could be divided in two parties concerning this issue: The first group of deaf people are those who have never been in schools and usually use signs and gestures to communicate, and the second group are those who have had an oralistic training which ended in their little use of signs and their reliability on spoken language. The task of teaching could not be given to either group without the construction of a real well studied program based on scientific researches, the training of teachers and the creation of new programs and new teaching materials. The research proposed in this project aim exactly to do so.
The situation we have briefly described here is true in a great number of countries throughout the world and is certainly true in Lebanon. Thus the need for researches in the field of gestures and Sign Languages.
3- PROJECT RATIONALE
The general rationale for this project is that it respond to a perceived need. A brief description of the situation of the education of the deaf in Lebanon could help to understand the real educative needs in the country.
a- Only 12% of the deaf children between 0 and 18 years old are in schools. 88% of them are without any
education at all.
b- Present educational system have not been able yet to go further than the elementary school in the best
possible programs in Lebanon because of conjugated linguistic, social, and pedagogical difficulties.
c- Social integration of deaf adults is still very poor because of the lack of education of the deaf people and the
diminished image the society has of them.
d- Mainstream programs, only practiced in the most advanced school have failed not because of the deaf
inherent inability to cope with the schools exigencies but because of the poor readiness of the schools and
the programs and the lack of pedagogical tools and instruments in hosting schools and in the institutions that
have conducted such experimentation.
e- Most of deaf schools in Lebanon have barely solved their survival problems, they can't possibly buy very
expensive material and recruit very expensive specialized pedagogical teams for oral and aural training.
Teaching sign language and by the mean of sign language could be really a solution which could enhance
their achievements.
f- There is absolutely no researches undertaken in the field of deaf education in Lebanon. Though the necessity
is felt by all professionals, deaf schools cannot financially support such researches and other governmental
and non governmental Organization have not included such researches in their agendas.
One could easily see that the research as well as its most important outputs (dictionary, teaching material and training of researchers to continue to study and develop LSL) do respond to the basic needs perceived in the field of deaf education and deaf social integration.
More specific rationale could be stated as follow:
1- Deaf children are potential members of local, national and international deaf communities. They have
parents, siblings, relatives, friends and teachers which are not deaf. Communication occurs between deaf
children and all the people involved in their lives. Thus, a project which is concerned with any aspect of this
communication, such as Sign Language should take into consideration all these participants in the
communication process.
2- Because Sign Languages are complex natural languages, and because they widely vary from country to
country depending on several linguistic and cultural factors, fluent deaf signers must be an integral part of the
project designed to collect local Signs used in a given country in order to constitute the lexicon of the Sign
language used as well as to study its organization and its grammar and begin to adequately describe the
language.
3- Previous studies, as well as ordinary observation of deaf individuals in several countries show that Sign
Languages are well developed autonomous languages with complex grammatical structures which are
mutually unintelligible across national countries. The structure of these languages do not parallel the
structures of spoken languages with which they are in contact. Also there are not 2 Sign languages that are all
alike. Therefore it is impossible to import a sign language used in a country and to implement it in another
country, and a complete description of a particular sign language is absolutely necessary to use this
language as a mean of communication as well as a teaching instrument. This task requires the knowledge
and the skill of professionals involved in the study of languages as well as professionals involved in deaf
education.
4- A collection of sign language vocabulary is a useful aid to teachers and parents, but also to others who desire
to learn signs languages (Psychologists, Md's, social workers, advocates, interpreter, personnel working in
deaf schools...).However it should not be used as a substitute for face to face interaction with fluent deaf
signer, and definitely couldn't be the one and only goal to be reached. One cannot communicate in a foreign
country if he have to refer to his dictionary for each word that he wants to say. Hence, the need to study how
does the language function, what are the relevant structures that are used to carry correct messages, how are
signs interpreted by the receiver and so on.. in a word to observe and describe the grammar rules of the
languages in order to use it correctly.
5- In order to address the concern and needs of deaf children, adults, parents, teachers and other professionals
in Lebanon, a local project task force should be established and should be given the possibility to confer with
other researchers and professionals who have already worked in the field of the study of sign languages
thorough the world.
4- PROJECT GOALS
The goals of this project are of direct benefit to the Lebanese deaf community and possibly to the deaf Arab community as well. They are also of a direct benefit to the schools involved with deaf education as well as to the parents of hearing disabled children and to all the professionals working with deaf people or among deaf communities. Furthermore, researchers from all over the world, especially linguists involved with sociolinguistics and language universals, anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists and people who are involved with the education of deaf children, would highly appreciate the research's outputs for the comparison that the research enable them to do between the findings of the Lebanese research and other findings of similar researches thorough the world.
More specifically, the goals of the project could be stated as the following:
1- To establish a continuing dialogue among deaf adults, parents, teachers and all professionals working with
deaf children.
2- To establish a working relationship and scientific cooperation between an American University, a Lebanese
university and a Lebanese deaf school all interested in researches related to deafness and sign languages
and to develop this relationship toward wider scientific cooperation in the future.
3- To train deaf individuals to be observeous of their own communication processes and to develop skills to
record and study salient features of that communication in order to teach it to others and especially the
hearing individuals so they could become able to communicate more effectively with deaf people.
4- To provide the deaf community, the schools involved in deaf education and in special education as a whole,
professionals working with deaf people, in Lebanon but also in the Arab countries and all the concerned
international parties, with a well documented reference book on Lebanese sign language showing and
describing the signs used by the deaf with the basic features of its organization and structure.
5- To provide Lebanese schools involved with the special education and all interested parties with teaching
material that could be easily implemented in the classroom procedure for teaching language to several
groups at different levels of the elementary school. And also to train teachers (deaf teachers and hearing
teachers as well) to teach sign language as a first or as a second language.
6- To help principals and pedagogical teams in the deaf schools to implement the bilingual (oral and sign
languages) methodology of approaching the education of deaf people, the one and only consistent
methodology that really goes with the Total Communication philosophy in the field of the practices,
procedures and curriculums, by providing them with the principal tool they need, namely the sign language.
7- To increase public awareness and knowledge of deafness with the intent of increasing respect for the skills
and potential deaf individuals and give deaf people the tool, chance and opportunity to prove what they are
really capable of - and they are capable of a lot of achievements - and help them stop the discrimination that
has always targeted them on the basis of their assumed linguistic and sometimes mental deficiencies.
8- As described in this project, the research could be considered as a model for other researches in the whole
Arab world. Thus it could have a multiplier effect. Recently, UNESCO has made 2 attempt to construct a project
involving several Arab Countries in the Middle East. Lebanon was not include in both projects even though it is
one of the most advanced Arab Countries in the field of deaf education and is certainly the most advanced
Arab Country in terms of trained professionals and specialists in fields related to the deaf.
But it is not the only lack that the UNESCO project suffers. The main problem that the project has to deal with is the lack of logic in its conception. In fact, the UNESCO project make an assumption that is based on two errors. The assumption made is that there is a unique sign language used by the deaf in Arab Countries. In fact the idea is based on the fact that there is one common language used by all Arabic Countries. In fact, researches on sign languages from all over the world -American, French, English, Canada, Sweden...- have indicated basic differences among well documented sign Languages even those historically related as American Sign Language and French Sign Language. Differences does not refer only to the vocabulary but also touch the grammatical structure of the analyzed languages. Furthermore, varieties have been noticed in the same Sign Language and in the same country.
As for all languages, Sign Languages are susceptible of wide varieties depending on linguistic, historical, sociological, educational and cultural factors. The Project of the UNESCO does not make any consideration for the Arabic dialects present all over the Arabic region. Furthermore, it does not take into consideration that the linguistic factor, even present, is neither the only factor, nor the most important factor that influences the Sign Language used by deaf people. Sociological and cultural factor are of much more importance.
Which leads us to the discussion of the second error that bases the project's assumption. The error proceeds from a common confusion of the two meanings of the concept of Arabity in the Arab World: The political meaning and the cultural one. Emphasizing on the necessity for Arab Countries to unite efforts toward common goals even when they are culturally different -the political meaning of the Arabity is one thing, and understanding the concept as equivalent to Oumma Arabiyya or Oumma Islamiyya and expressing the unicity of the Nation's culture is one different thing and a very imprudent step to take. It seems that the UNESCO project take that step making the confusion between the two entities.
Anyway, the Unesco project will have to deal with the enormous management problems that are normally generated when conducting researches in 5 or 10 different countries, and the whole enterprise is also very expensive.
Instead, several independent researches in each Country with the possibility to analyze, revise and correct bad moves, learn from experience and compare findings in a cumulative movement seems to be much more appropriate and much more effective for the time being.
5- PROJECT IMPACT
It is not possible to accurately quantify the potential impact of this project on the Lebanese population because there are no population statistics available in the country for the number of the deaf population. However it is possible to predict which segments of the population have the potential with impact. Families with deaf member(s), professionals working with deaf people and deaf people themselves could possibly benefit from the outcome of this project. In fact, in many country the emergence of sign language has captured the interest of the general population to the point where it is common to see programs on television using it; hearing children choose it as an elective course in schools; dramatic production are performed in this medium; universities and schools developing interpretation courses and curriculums... and so on..
In a research conducted by Rehabilitation International and sponsored by UNICEF, it was determined that one of ten people in the world was disabled. Of that number 16% have hearing and speech difficulties. Using this formula, and applying it to the total population of Lebanon (about 3,000,000 people), one can conclude that there are 28, 000 persons in Lebanon with hearing and speech difficulties. Unfortunately, the research does not give a clear definition of that concept. Therefore, it is not possible to determine the number of deaf people in this figure.
In the USA, researches show that 13% of the hearing impaired population are deaf and that.87% of the general population are deaf. While it will not give an accurate figure of the 3, 000, 000 people of the Lebanese population, the result is the figure of 26, 000 deaf persons. But deaf people are definitively not the only people to benefit from the output of the present research. Their parents, siblings, friends, teachers and all the professionals working in the field of deafness or in related fields, can also benefit widely and constitute a population that has the potential impact. Past experience shows that extrapolations such as this one are not very accurate for research purpose because the variables from country to country are not the same. However, it still indicates that there is potential for significant number of people to be served.
II/- SECTION TWO: PROCEDURAL PLAN
1- APPROACH TO THE PROJECT
The project can be viewed as having three main components. The first component is its management, administration and financial support. The second component is a research component and the definition of a methodological approach to a relatively new field of investigation in the Arab Countries. The third component is a training component and it has 2 major aspects: The training of Lebanese researchers - academicians (linguist and psychologist), practitioners (speech therapist and educator) and deaf teachers to continue researches in the field of deaf education. And the training of hearing and deaf teachers to use the teaching material designated to their intention as well as helping schools principals to construct new curriculums and introduce LSL into the teaching process.
A/- MANAGEMENT OF THE PROJECT
The project will be headed by a Project Director, who will supervise the overall administration of the project, use of authorized funds, provision of required administrator and fiscal reports to the granting agencies and related management activities. The direct responsibilities for the above, however, will be given to the Project Coordinator. The Principal Investigator will have direct responsibility for the design and implementation of the research portion of this project.
The following chart represent an organigram of the program. It is, for the time being, a logic structure representing the basic elements that should be working together and their relations and connections. The structure does not take into account other elements, that represent granting agencies and participant Institutions.
2- METHODOLOGY
A/- Listing of phases and steps of the project
The project has 2 major Phases and each phase includes several well defined steps.
Phase one: Creation of LSL dictionary
Step 1- Setting: Deals with the setting of the first Phase of the project: Finding a suitable place to locate the project, preliminary contact with personnel and with local specialists and informants. First observations of live and pre-settled situations, interviews of informants, clear definition of objectives and explanation of the objectives to the whole team, preparation of technical material as well as the linguistic material.
Step 2- Data collection: Through participant observations, interviews, videotaping and shooting photographs.
Step 3- Analyze of the collected data: Comparison between signs used by several individuals and in several live and pre-settled situations. Analyze of sign sequences to discover its structure, its word order, the frequency of its occurrence, the existence of non manual signs with grammatical and syntactical significance...First approach to describe LSL syntax in order to establish hypothesis to be verified in the second phase of the research.
Step 4- Compilation and organization of the dictionary: Translation of signs into Lebanese dialect, Arab language, French and English. Drawing pictures for each sign and preparation of the dictionary for printing.
The two previous steps will take into consideration the published data in other dictionaries all over the world and an attempt will be made to inquire about Lebanese signs for concepts that has already been documented in other languages in order to enable researchers to make comparisons and international studies. Lebanese idioms and cultural particularities will not of course be forgotten. The dictionary will also includes the first findings on LSL syntactic structure and its morphology and phonology.
Step 5- Report: Evaluation and report on the first phase of the research and description of its hypothesis, methodology, goals, objectives, difficulties, findings and the hypothesis to be tested in the second phase.
Phase Two
Step 1- Setting and preparation: Consultations with school's principals and pedagogic teams. Analysis of curriculums and practices in deaf schools. Setting general hypothesis and sub-hypothesis to be tested. Preparation of instruments and techniques.
Step 2- Data collection: Filming and shooting photographs of interviews and observation of live and pre-settled situations carefully prepared to test the hypothesis stated in step one.
Step 3- Analysis of LSL structure: In-depth analysis of the strategies used by the addresser to convey ideas when coding the message and the strategies used by the addressee when receiving and decoding the message. the influence of the situation, the limitations and constrains put by the channel used. The use of space. The role of iconicity in LSL. Determination of the characteristics of the signs developed because of the channel and what characteristics are borrowed from oral languages or may have resulted from the imposition of the language and culture of the hearing majority on the deaf people.
Special emphasize will be put on the comparison of the strategies used by deaf Lebanese with the other strategies and syntactical structures that we know about from other languages all over the world.
Step 4- Evaluation and report: On the syntax of the LSL and findings especially those to be used in the production of the teaching material and the training sessions for teachers.
Step 5- Production of teaching materials: With the help of the specialist in teaching sign languages, produce teaching materials, books, photo strips, videotape.. etc.. for three levels: Elementary level, intermediate level, advanced level. The population targeted is of three kinds: Deaf children in classrooms, Hearing parents and family members taking LSL as a second language, Professionals and all interested parties.
Step 6- Training: Preparation and execution of training sessions for the teachers to use the materials created and to continue studying and experimenting on LSL.
Step 7- Final Evaluation and report:
B- PROCEDURES
a- INFORMANTS AND POPULATION
The variables that would be investigated are:
- Pre-lingualy deaf vs deafened
- Males vs females
- deaf vs hard of hearing
- deaf parents vs hearing parents
- deaf with contact to the community vss deaf without contact to the community.
- ages in four categories: 1-6 years, 77-13 years, 14-21 years, Deaf adults
- geographical distribution: from all over the country and from all 8 deaf schools in Lebanon: SAIDA, BEIRUT WEST, BABDA, HADATH, LOUEIZE, AIN-AAR, SHAILE, TRIPOLI.
b- EQUIPMENT, INSTRUMENTS AND TECHNIQUES
Equipment and materials
Video camera, Video recorder, Videotapes
Photo camera, Films
Computer, software, Printer.
Sign languages employs the visual/gestural mode of communication. In order to research this communication process, a special mean of collecting data must be used. The most common mean is through the use of videotape and photography equipment. The computer nowadays is also a must for administrative purpose as well for calculations and graphics.
Research's instruments
Pictures and strips prepared by the team to investigate the processes and the strategies used by the deaf.
Videotapes also prepared for the same reason.
Lists of words to investigate
Dictionaries
Observation sheets prepared by the team
Some of the instruments will be entirely created by the project team, but to be able to make comparisons some instruments will be the same used in other researches all over the world.
Research methods and techniques
Interviews: With officials, school principals teachers and the informants.
Group discussions.
Observation: Live and prepared situations, play, conversations, learning situations...
Experimentation.
Comparative method.
All methods and techniques listed above are proven to be adequate and accurate to the research topic described in this project.
III- SECTION THREE: POSITIVE PROJECT OUTCOMES
Below is a listing of some positive outcomes resulting from this project:
A/- The documentation and description of Lebanese sign language will:
+ Provide basic linguistic data on a previously undocumented sign language to linguists for comparative studies
of sign languages of the world
+ Result in a resource book on LSL or teachers, parents, employers, and others who wish to communicate with
deaf people.
+ Increase awareness of deaf adults themselves regarding their language and communication processes
B/- The research process through which this project will be accomplished will:
+ Establish a dialogue and working relationship among members of the Lebanese community interested in the
welfare of deaf children, including teachers, deaf adults, parents and researchers..
+ Result in the training of Lebanese researchers and deaf adults in the collection and analysis of
communication data, including videotapes of sign language in use in the deaf community.
+ Begin to develop an untapped resource, that is, deaf adults themselves, and the contribution they can make to
the future of deaf children. By providing them with information and teaching skills, the project will encourage
and enable them to work with those individuals desiring to learn sign language. Deaf children will have the
experience with adult role models who actively contribute to the community. The availability of such role models will contribute to the development of the children's positive self concept and hence to growth and development
intellectually and emotionally.
C/- The project design is one that can be replicated by other Arabic Countries.
D/- The Lebanese personnel trained during this project on the data analysis of sign language can serve as consultants on other similar projects. Thus demonstrating the potential for a multiplier effect.
E/- The completed documentation of Lebanese sign language will fill an important gap for those wishing to employ the total communication approach to teaching deaf children.
F/- The presence of an ASL teaching specialist and the production of teaching material will considerably improve the research on curriculums and books used in teaching leading to a radical change in programs and teaching materials toward much adapted instruments to the reality of deaf children.
IV- SECTION FOUR: PROJECT REPORTS
For projects such as this one it is usual to develop project reports to be submitted to persons and agencies responsible for the project. Three evaluation and reports are projected for this project:
One: At The end of the first year (month 12) which will evaluate and discuss the construction of the dictionary on Lebanese sign language, the first outcome of the project.
TWO: In the middle of the second year (month 20) which will evaluate and discuss the work on the second output of the project, the LSL structure and the grammatical analysis.
THREE: At the end of the second year (month 24) which will evaluate and discuss the work on the third output of the research, the teaching material and the training of LSL teachers. This report will come along with the last evaluation and report on the whole research.
V- SECTION FIVE: INTERESTED INSTITUTIONS IN LEBANON
Preliminary contacts have been made with two educative Institutions in Lebanon. Both Institutions have expressed a vivid interest and willingness to help conducting the research. Further contacts and negotiations are needed to fix definitively the terms of the participation.
1- SAINT-JOSEPH UNIVERSITY. BEIRUT and especially the FACULTY OF LETTERS AND HUMAN SCIENCES
A/ INTERESTED DEPARTMENTS
-DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATIONNAL SCIENCES
-DEPARTMENT OF ARAB LETTERS
-DEPARTMENT OF FRENCH LETTERS -LEBANESEE INSTITUTE OF EDUCATORS: both sections: Specialized education and elementary education
B/- POSSIBILITIES TO BE DISCUSSED
-Hosting the whole project and creatingg a sign language laboratory
-helping with administrative work
-Publication of results and findings inn the ANNALS of different departments
-Editing dictionary, grammar book and tteaching materials
2- INSTITUT DE REEDUCATION AUDIO-PHONETIQUE. AIN-AAR
A- FEATURES
-Deaf school operating since 1962
-80 deaf students from all over the couuntry ranging in age from 3 to 18
-20 deaf adults working as teachers andd assistants, personnel and employees
-Multi-disciplinary well trained pedagoogic team: Psychoanalyst, psychologists, speech therapists, audiologist,
educators, teachers, social worker.
-Programs:
+ Early education (parent infant program)
+ Specialized school, elementary level
+ Mainstream program
+ Professional school
+ External free consultation and guidance center
+ Open center for deaf people from all over the country acting like a club and a meeting place for youth and
adults.
+ Going on experimentation on the use of sign in classroom, in bilingual education
B- POSSIBILITIES
- Hosting the project and providing itss logistics
- Limited administrative support
- Provide links with a wide variety of deaf people and deaf professionals, parents, families, married deaf couples... etc...and different kinds of informants.
Even though other Institutions have not been formally contacted, informal talks with several principals of deaf schools were positive and predictions are that the government support could be easily acquired as well as the interest and help from other Universities and especially from deaf adults and the deaf community as a whole.
IV- CONCLUSION
Providing a good education to deaf children is an elusive challenge. In order to meet this challenge, interested Organizations and persons everywhere must unite efforts. Information and expertise must be shared. Solutions to problems must be sought. Heretofore untapped resources must be identified. This proposed project attempts to do just this sharing knowledge and expertise; seeking opinions from the deaf community; researching an unknown topic.. Lebanese Sign Language. The result will be one of providing persons interested in deafness and people an increased body of knowledge to apply to their chosen profession. It will also provide information to begin the use of a child-centered philosophy of total communication in the school.
