Help me find the signs (please)

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PatB

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Hello,

I'm a college professor teaching computer programming. I have a class this year with a deaf student, and I'd like to find just the "right" sign for certain concepts that I want to teach. The tricky ones are the signs for bit-wise AND and OR.

I'm pretty sure that the conjunction "and" isn't the appropriate sign for communicating the concept of binary/bitwise/logical AND that we use in programming. Similarly for OR.

I do have interpreters that work with me, but they're not programmers, so I wanted to ask the people here.

Can anybody point me to an ASL dictionary or steer me?

I also need signs for: event, interrupt, state machine, subroutine, vector table, pointer, array, task switch (and a few more :D )

Thanks to anybody that can help
 
PatB said:
Hello,

I'm a college professor teaching computer programming. I have a class this year with a deaf student, and I'd like to find just the "right" sign for certain concepts that I want to teach. The tricky ones are the signs for bit-wise AND and OR.

I'm pretty sure that the conjunction "and" isn't the appropriate sign for communicating the concept of binary/bitwise/logical AND that we use in programming. Similarly for OR.

I do have interpreters that work with me, but they're not programmers, so I wanted to ask the people here.

Can anybody point me to an ASL dictionary or steer me?

I also need signs for: event, interrupt, state machine, subroutine, vector table, pointer, array, task switch (and a few more :D )

Thanks to anybody that can help
Click to expand...
Why do you need to know the signs if you have an interpreter for the class? You really shouldn't be doing the interpreter's job. They don't teach, and you don't interpret.

I've interpreted for computer classes, funerals, medical appointments, and real estate closings but I'm not a programmer, preacher, doctor, or lawyer. That's not really relevant to the interpretation.

There are standard signs for some technological terms but not all. The interpreter and student will work out the signs that they want to use. You can ask them. It would not be helpful for us to tell you to use one sign and then the terp and student use another.
 
I agree with Reba!

As (former) university student who's had interpreters for my classes it's the job of the interpreter team and myself to deal with any technical signs that need to be researched for the class, or if temporary "in-class only signs" need to be created I and my interpreters will create signs which follow correct ASL linguistic rules for that specific class (series of classes).

It's is NOT the job of the (hearing non-ASL fluent) teacher to start finding signs for the interpreters or student.

The idea is that:
1)You TEACH
2)The interpreters interpret English to ASL and ASL to English
3)The student learns and asks questions as needed.

The teacher/prof should never take on ANY "interpreter" type / signing role - it's disrespectful to the interpreters and hoh/d/Deaf person as well as VERY confusing for everyone involved.

If you want to do something to help - you can compile a list of terms and meanings, as well as perhaps a few websites that might explain in clear English "for the laymen" what various technical terms etc are. Then you can mention to disability services that you have this material available for the interpreters and student if they want. Just email disability services the doc./pdf/websites etc and give them permission to forward.

As a side note - I used to ask my profs for a online resource/vocabulary list relating to the content of their class a few weeks before classes started. Then I'd create a list/handout of any technical/uncommon words, brief definitions and then info on what sign we'd chosen for that word (& a comment such as "see ASL.pro" or "for in-class only"). Throughout the session my team and I would update the list as needed to add terms or clarify existing content... made things SO much easier. Once that session finished, we'd create a new list for the next session of classes using the previous list as a "base" (if relevant). This is the type of work that ASL using students and interpreters typically do "behind the scenes" and most times the prof isn't even aware of it.
 
Reba/Anij,

Thanks for getting back to me, and thanks for reminding me of my role.

I'll give my word list to the interpreters and let them work it out.

Cheers,
Pat
 
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