SBIR PHASE II: Illustrated, Interactive, American Sign Language/Science Videodisk Dictionary

这项来自弗吉尼亚州科技国际公司(位于洛杉矶拉普拉斯)的小企业创新研究第二阶段项目专注于研究，导致一套完整的基于计算机的、图文并茂的、互动的美国手语/科学(ASL)词典的功能和应用规范，供聋哑儿童使用。由于聋儿和听障儿童在掌握英语流利程度方面面临更大的挑战，传统词典作为获取知识的手段的价值往往有限。这一研究项目的目标是提供一种用美国手语和英语表达、教授和学习技术术语和科学概念的方法，使用一种使聋童更容易获得学术内容的形式，并促进自学。第二阶段研究的结果将是确定词典的内容、用户界面和呈现方式，并以一种现有的聋儿教育材料所不具备的方式纳入美国手语的特点。美国手语、书面英语、动画和图形的结合将加强对英语术语和基本科学概念的学习。该词典的软件架构将允许在IBM兼容和Macintosh平台上执行，并允许在万维网上进行访问。作为一种资源，《多媒体美国手语科学词典》在特殊教育领域有着广泛的应用，因为它将加强聋童的手语学习和科学概念的学习。这一概念可以应用于广泛人群的各种教育材料，如成人图解词典、游戏、娱乐和培训产品。特别是，这种词典的概念的效用扩展到英语作为第二语言(ESL)学习者的材料。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project from Technology International Incorporated of Virginia (located in LaPlace, LA) focuses on research leading to a complete set of specifications of features and applications of a computer-based, illustrated, interactive American Sign Language/Science (ASL) Dictionary for deaf and hearing impaired children. Since deaf and hearing impaired children have a greater challenge in gaining fluency in English, traditional dictionaries are often of limited value as a means to acquiring knowledge. The goal of this research project is to provide a means of expressing, teaching, and learning technical terms and science concepts in ASL as well as in English, using a format that makes academic content more accessible to children who are deaf and which promotes self-study. The outcome of the Phase II research will be identification of the content, user-interface, and mode of presentation of the dictionary as well as incorporation of ASL features in a way that is unavailable in the extant educational material designed for deaf children. The combination of ASL, written English, animation and graphics will enhance the learning of the English terms and the underlying science concepts. The software architecture of the dictionary will allow for implementation on IBM-compatible and Macintosh platforms, as well as allowing accessibility over the World Wide Web. As a resource, the Multimedia ASL Science Dictionary has various applications in the special education arena, inasmuch as it would reinforce both the learning of sign language as well as science concepts among children who are deaf. The concept can be applied to a diverse body of education materials for a wide range of population, such as illustrated dictionaries for adults, games, entertainment, and training products. In particular, the utility of the concept of such a dictionary extends to materials for English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) learners.