Development of Multimedia Literacy Storybooks for Deaf Adults

The goal of this SBIR project is to apply computer-based, interactive multimedia technology to enhance the literacy of deaf adults. The poor reading skills of the average deaf adult today creates significant barriers to their full participation in mainstream American culture, above and beyond the deafness itself. Poor literacy skills put this population at risk for severe employment problems - in finding and retaining appropriate employment; in communicating with supervisors and co-workers; in taking advantage of vocational education and, in turn, job advancement opportunities; and in performing job-related reading and writing tasks. In every day life, poor literacy skills are also a significant barrier. Simple tasks such as reading food and medicine labels, filling out medical forms, negotiating leases, buying a car or a house, applying for insurance, etc., become daunting tasks, often necessitating the services of hired interpreter. Poor literacy also lessens the availability of public health, safety and social services information to this population, since that information is likely to be communicated in a written format. And finally, inadequate reading skills minimize the effective participation of deaf adults in democratic processes as responsible, educated citizens. By using computer-based multimedia that integrate pictures, animation, graphics, American Sign Language, and English text in a storybook format and within a context that is of interest to deaf adults, the teaching and learning of reading skills will be maximized. Visually-rich computer-based programs will be used to complement existing teacher/facilitator-led literacy training or can provide learning, development, reinforcement, and practice reading activities independent of direct teacher/facilitator instruction. The computer operating system will allow the programs to respond to each individual's needs and desires and to be tailored and expanded in relation to the individual's reading level and growth. The programs will also be configured to provide on-going feedback to the user and facilitator. The use of multimedia storybooks offers exciting prospects for literacy development, overcoming many of the reading obstacles deaf adults face today.