Towards Optimizing Independence and Life Skills

This project studies the use of two way text messaging by deaf high school students who cannot use phones.

The problem:

Students who are profoundly deaf learn ASL (American Sign Language). Most of them learn very little English. We "Graduate" them from high school with a "Certificate of attendance" an average English level of grade 4. You need about grade 9 to make effective use of closed captioning.

This lack of English means they are cut off from much of the world that hearing people take for granted ­ news, radio, TV, and school announcements on P.A. systems.

Often the parents don't know enough ASL to include them in decisions. The children know they are being discussed but not what is being discussed. The parents make the decisions for their children and the result is that the kids do not develop the mental muscle to make their own decisions. This leaves them socially delayed - often 4 to 8 years.

The research project:

By providing two-way text messaging service to these deaf students we hope we will be able to demonstrate improved skills in the following areas:

The partners in this project are:

Why do this project:

The outcomes we hope for is a better understanding of the potential of this technology to assist deaf people to reach their maximum potential. If this project is successful in showing the value of this technology we hope that governments will change their policy. Currently the province will assist the acquisition of technology for the student but not for the parents. We expect that this study will show that it is important for the parents to talk to their children and that it is in the greater public good to encourage this communication with this technology.

Visit us often:

As we receive results from the researchers in the TDSB and York University we will post them on this web site.