[Foundation-l] Signal languages Wikimedia projects

[Gregory Maxwell]

On Sat, Nov 22, 2008 at 5:28 PM, Gerard Meijssen
<gerard.meijssen at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hoi,
> The proposal is for ASL to be written in SignWriting. This has the added
> benefit that whatever is actually written can also be edited in our wiki
> style. The problem with video  is that you cannot change it and consequently
> it is not really Wiki.
>
> Steve Slevinsky is working on an extension that will allow for the writing
> of any sign languages using SignWriting. I understand that he is even
> cosidering another skin.. This will allow for much of the user interface to
> be localised.

But SignWriting is not sign-language: Many people who are deaf and use
ASL (and, I presume, other forms of sign language) are unaware of and
have no interest in SignWriting as being deaf does not result in an
inherit inability to communicate using more common written languages.

As far as I am aware SignWriting characters do not occur in any
standard character see, further complicating use.  I have no
opposition to supporting SignWriting, but Wikis in SignWritten
signlanguage probably should be regarded as any other conlang projects
are, and certainly not regarded as an accessibility effort.