Now Brits who want to communicate with the signing Deaf can get British Sign Language (BSL) signs downloaded to their cellphones/mobile phones. The Centre for Deaf Studies at the University of Bristol (site) has developed a free BSL dictionary called Mobilesign, which should download fast enough to avoid large phone-service charges.
From the press release linked above:
Jim Kyle, Harry Crook Professor of Deaf Studies at the Centre for Deaf Studies said: “This is a first step to providing support to hearing people’s communication with Deaf people — anywhere and at any time. From our research, we have identified this point of contact as a major issue for Deaf people in shops and daily life. The next step for us will be to construct a phrasebook in order that more extensive interaction can be supported.”
Signstation: BSL and Deaf awareness workplace materials
It’s nice to see technology working for Deaf people instead of against them (radio, movies going from readable intertitles to talkies, telegrams going to telephones). I hope we get something like this for American Sign Language (ASL), especially with the current work on sign-friendly video compression (see my post Better cellphone video for Deaf signers?).