History of SignWriting

Chapter 4
The SignWriter Newspaper
1981-1984

 

Fall, 1981 - Summer, 1984
The SignWriter Newspaper

was a 12 to 24 page newspaper, published quarterly. It was the first newspaper in history to be written in the movements of signed languages. Most articles were written in two languages: English and American Sign Language. It was distributed free to Deaf people in 41 countries.

Today's SignWriting publications would not be the same, if it were not for the research and development done through the publication of the SignWriter Newspaper. The Newspaper had historic influence on how SignWriting is written today.

The first Deaf journalists on the Newspaper staff were pioneers. They were the first group of Deaf adults to truly become skilled at writing their native language. At that time, signed languages were not considered "written languages". It was a controversial idea to "try to write signs", and all who worked on the Newspaper staff experienced resistance to this concept, from both Deaf and hearing people. New ideas take time for acceptance, something the staff had no choice but to learn the hard way. But there were many strong supporters of SignWriting too. The Newspaper was a catalyst for debating the issue of Sign Language Literacy. It was also a catalyst for developing a way to type signs.



Below...
In 1981, there was no way to type SignWriting.
Each issue of the SignWriter Newspaper was
written by hand with ink pens....



Below...
...or wax symbols were manually pressed on paper
with specially designed "transfer sheets".


Below...
It took 3 months to write one issue by hand.
The first issue, published Fall, 1981,
was written by hand by Founding Editor,
Nancy Ellen Woo (now Nancy Romero).
Nancy continued to write each issue by hand
for several years. It was tiring, painstaking work.

 


Below...
Lucinda Struxness (now Lucinda Batch), was the first Deaf
reporter to write articles in American Sign Language.
A new profession began called Sign Language Journalism.

Below Lucinda is joined by other Newspaper staff members,
including (from left to right) Kevin Struxness,
Dennis Schemenauer and illustrator Frank Allen Paul.


Below...
Publisher Valerie Sutton worked with Meriam Ina Schroeder,
Assistant Editor, on the newspaper's layout and design

 

.


 

Below...
Managing Editor, Susan Diamond Bucher,
edited each Sign Language article,
working with Deaf reporters on writing
American Sign Language grammar.


 

Below...
Dennis Schemenauer and illustrator Frank Allen Paul
created a cartoon strip written in SignWriting.


 

Below...
Vicki Santillanes wrote a "Dear Vicki" column
in American Sign Language,
answering questions from the Deaf Community.


 

Below...
History was made when articles were written in four languages:
1. Danish Sign Language (DSL)
2. American Sign Language (ASL)
3. English and 4. Danish...


Below...
Publication ceased in 1984 because it
was too much work to write the newspaper by hand.
In 1986, just two years later, the SignWriter Computer Program,
programmed by Richard Gleaves, changed history.
Finally SignWriting could be typed!


The SignWriter Newspaper resumed publication as
the SignWriter Newsletter in 1989, typed by computer.

Since 1996, the SignWriter Newsletter has been posted
regularly on the World-Wide-Web. You can read the latest
issue on the SignWriting Web Site...


Search Google


Google
Web www.SignWriting.org
www.SignBank.org www.MovementWriting.org

 

Questions? Write to:
Sutton@SignWriting.org

 

 

 

Give to SignWriting
proof of non-profit status

SignWriting Symposium 2015
SignWriting
Symposium
Home
SignWriting on YouTube
SignWriting
Symposium
on YouTube
Search by Authors
Search by
Authors

Search by Categories
Search by
Categories


Search by Presentation List
Search by
List of
Presentations

View 64
Presentation
Web Pages

including
papers, slides,
bios & videos
.
See below:
2014
2014
Presentations
2014
Presentation 1

SWORD Project
Research
Italy & France
Bianchini & Borgia
2014
Presentation 2
Wöhrmann's
SpeechWriting
Education, Germany
Stefan Wöhrmann
2014
Presentation 3
SW Handwriting
Write SW by Hand
Education, USA
Adam Frost
2014
Presentation 4
SWift Digital
Editor, Software,
Italy & France
Borgia, Bianchini
& Marsico
2014
Presentation 5
Deaf Child Literacy
Research, Brazil
Marianne Stumpf
2014
Presentation 6
Deaf Literacy
with SignWriting
Education, Paraguay
Mirta Barreto
2014
Presentation 7
New Testament
in Written ASL
Literature, USA
Nancy Romero
2014
Presentation 8
Writing 48 Articles
in ASL Wikipedia
Literature, USA
Nancy Romero
2014
Presentation 9
A Decade of
Teaching ASL
using SignWriting
Education, USA
Natasha Westland
2014
Presentation 10
Ordering Signs
in Dictionaries
Education, USA
Charles Butler Neto
2014
Presentation 11
SignPuddle
Standard
Software, USA
Steve Slevinski
2014
Presentation 12
DELEGS-Editor
in Classroom
Education,
Germany
Stefan Wöhrmann
2014
Presentation 13
SignWriter Studio
Software, Honduras
Jonathan Duncan
2014
Presentation 14
Alternative
ISWA 2010 Fonts
Software, Honduras
Jonathan Duncan
2014
Presentation 15
SignWriting in Deaf
Education, Tunisia
Balti, Bahri & Laajili
2014
Presentation 16
Deaf Communication
Education, Brazil
Faulstich, Júnior
& Patrícia Santos
2014
Presentation 17
SignWriting Teachers
Education, Brazil
Barreto, Souza,
Nascimento & Coelho
2014
Presentation 18
Deaf Perspectives
Education, Brazil
Barreto, Souza,
Nascimento & Coelho

2014
Presentation 19
TrueType in Graphite
Software, USA
Steve Slevinski

2014
Presentation 20
Sign Animating
Education, Canada
André Lemyre
2014
Presentation 21
SignWriting App
Software, USA
Jake Chasan
2014
Presentation 22
Children's Books
Literature, Portugal
Rafa Cota Silva
2014
Presentation 23
TuniSigner Avatar
Software, Tunisia
Bouzid & Jemni
2014
Presentation 24
Deaf Ed in Brazil
Education, Brazil
Stumpf & Barreto
2014
Presentation 25
Reading SignWriting
Education, Brazil
Débora Wanderley
2014
Presentation 26
SW Online Course
Education, Brazil
Barreto, Pereira
& Barbosa
2014
Presentation 27
Film Online Course
Education, Brazil
Barreto & Goulart
2014
Presentation 28
Language Analysis
Research USA
Erika Hoffmann
2014
Presentation 29
SW in Deaf Schools
Education, USA
Denny Voreck
2014
Presentation 30
SignWriting App
Education, USA
Elena Eroshkin
2014
Presentation 31
Digital SW Texts
Software, USA
Steve Slevinski
2014
Presentation 32
SW & Phonology
Research, Brazil
Costa & Barreto
2014
Presentation 33
SW-OGR
Software, Italy
Borgia & Marsico
2014
Presentation 34
SignWriting in
Catholic Liturgy
Education, Slovenia
Edi Strouhal
2014
Presentation 35
Escrita de Sinais
Education, Brazil
Barreto & Barreto

2014
Presentation 36

SW Terminolgy
Research, Brazil
Lima & Barreto

2014
Presentation 37
SW Translation
Research, Brazil
Barreto & Oliveira
2014
Presentation 38
SignWriting in
Music Scores
Literature, USA
Ron Shalom
2014
Presentation 39
Writing Maltese
Sign Language
Research, Malta
Maria Galea
2014
Presentation 40
40 Years Writing
Sign Languages:
1974-2014
Research, USA
Valerie Sutton
2015
2015
Presentations
2015
Presentation 41
Javascript Keyboard
Software, Canada
Yair Rand
2015
Presentation 42
Teacher's Attitudes
SW in Education
Saudi Arabia
AbuShaira, Mahfooz
2015
Presentation 43
SignWriting Stack
Software, USA
Steve Slevinski
2015
Presentation 44
DELEGS-Editor
Education, Germany
Stefan Wöhrmann
2015
Presentation 45
SignWriting
Electronic
Flashcards
Education, Canada
André Lemyre
2015
Presentation 46
Reading SignWriting
Research, Brazil
Marcos Klüber Kogut
2015
Presentation 47
SignWriting in Classroom
Education, Portugal
Rafa Cota Silva
2015
Presentation 48
SignWriting
Journal System
Software, Brazil 
Brito, Shintaku,
Ramos & Nascimento
2015
Presentation 49
SignMaker 2015
Software, USA
Steve Slevinski
2015
Presentation 50
Nicaraguan
Sign Language
Grammar
Education,Nicaragua
James Shepard-Kegl
2015
Presentation 51
SignWriting Font
Research, Germany
Lentföhr, Nitschke
& Rutrecht
2015
Presentation 52
MemoSign Game
Software, Tunisia
Bouzid, Khenissi
2016
2016
Presentations
2016
Presentation 53
Home For
Deaf Children
Education, Peru
Kristina Tworek
2016
Presentation 54
SignTyp Database
Research, USA
Rachel Channon
2016
Presentation 55
FSW Formal
SignWriting
Software, USA
Steve Slevinski
2016
Presentation 56
SignWriting in
Tunisian Deaf
Education, Tunisia
Laajili & Balti
2016
Presentation 57
Parallel Corpora
Software, Brazil
Alex M. Becker
2016
Presentation 58
Deaf Writing Skills
Education, Portugal
Jorge Manuel Pinto
2016
Presentation 59
Bilingual Deaf
Education, Brazil
Almeida & Júnior
2016
Presentation 60
Bilingual Deaf
Education, Brazil
Daniele Bózoli
2016
Presentation 61
SignWriting
in Unicode
Software, USA
Steve Slevinski
2016
Presentation 62
SignPuddle 3.0
Software, USA
Steve Slevinski
2016
Presentation 63
Peru Sign Dict
Research, Peru
Miguel Mondoñedo
2016
Presentation 64
Sign Wikipedias
Literature, USA
Valerie Sutton
ASL Presentation by
Adam Frost, Jason
Nesmith, Holly Sharer
& the CODA Brothers
Plus special video on
Tunisian Sign Wikipedia
by Mohamed Ali Balti
SignWriting Symposium 2015
SignWriting
Symposium
Home
 
2016
SignWriting
Publications
SignWriting Basics Instruction Manual
SignWriting
Basics Instruction
Manual
Lessons in SignWriting Textbook
Lessons in
SignWriting
Textbook
ASL Hand Symbols Manual
ASL Hand
Symbols Manual
International SW Hand Symbols Manual
SignWriting
Hand Symbols
For ISWA 2010
Book on Amazon
Gospel According
To John in ASL
on Amazon.com

Book on Amazon
Goldilocks in
ASL, Workbook
& Coloring Book

Book on Amazon
Goldilocks in
ASL, Basic
Storybook
Book on Amazon
Snow White in
ASL, Workbook
& Coloring Book