ICT-based applications to support the learning of written signed language

Abstract

In today's modern world, new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has given wings to empower the use of technology in the educational process. Increasingly, it is being seen as a powerful development tool which used to help students with special needs gain access to educational resources and enable them to become active learners alongside their hearing peers. For students with hearing impairments, ICT can play an especially important role in developing their language experiences without being dependent on the spoken words and this by adopting specialized tools used either in the classroom or at a distance. The main objective of this paper is to highlight the potential benefits of using ICT in deaf education and the major challenges that lie ahead. Particular attention will be paid to the ongoing research project, tuniSigner, which deals with the development of new ICT-based applications specifically aimed at supporting the learning of sign language notations to deaf learners by adopting avatar technology.