IMPAIRMENT OF HEARING TIS THE SINGLE MOST PREVALENT CHRONIC PYHSICAL DISABILITY IN THE UNITED STATES.

IMPAIRMENT OF HEARING TIS THE SINGLE MOST PREVALENT CHRONIC PYHSICAL DISABILITY IN THE UNITED STATES. MORE PERSONS S SUFFER A HEARING DEFECT THAN HAVE VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS, HEART DISEASE OR TOTHER CHRONIC DISABILITIES. THIRTY PERCENT OF OF AMERICAN DEAF YOUTH ARE FUNCTIONALLY ILLITERATE, 60 PER CENT ARE AT 5.3 GRADE LEVEL OR BELOW AND ONLY 3 TO 5 PERCENTACHIEVE A TENTH GARDE LEVEL. THIS RECORD CONTRASTS SHARPLY WITH INDICATIONS OFTHE INTELLIGENCE LEVELS OF THE HEARING IMPAIRED. ONE CONSEQUENCE OF EXTREMELY DEFICIENT EDUCATION WILL INEVITABLY BE UNDEREMPLOYMENT. THE TECHNICALLY DIFFICULT PROBLEMS OF TRANSLATING ENGLISH -LIKE TEXT TO SIGN LANGUAGE IS CERTAINLY SOLVABLE, BUT NUM NUMEROUS QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THE SYSTEM SHOULD BE DESIGNED AND WHAT COMPUTER HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE ARE NEEDED MUST BE ANSWERED. THE DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A GRAPHICS SYSTEM FOR THE DEAF MUST INCORPORATE AS ITS NUCLEUS A FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE PSYCHOLOFY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF THE DEAF AS WELL AS THE SYNTAX AND GRAMMAR USED TO TRAN SFORM AND REPRESENT SIGN-LANGUAGE CONCEPTS INTO A GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION. THIS PROPOSAL OUTLINES THE RESEARCH PHASE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MICROCOMPUTER BASED SYSTEM TO ASSIST THE DEAF TO READ.