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Re: Q's on Sign Language & Debate
It seems to me that there will be two difficulties here. Briefly, they
will be in receiving and transmitting. The interpreter will have to be
someone who can sign rapidly to the student, and who has a system of
signs for common debate terminology. Try buzzing through a topicality
argument at 300wpm in sign language. In this case, your interpreter will
be a weak link in the system in fast rounds. In "speaking," the student
will have to be able to communicate rapidly enough to the interpreter
that he can get all of his arguments in. Again, you will need an
interpreter who is familiar with debate terminology, perhaps someone who
can work with the deaf debater to develop new signs.
I debated against a blind debater in a Parliamentary round once, but this
is obviously a less serious problem. He simply announced before the
round that anyone rising for a point of information would have to say so,
or he obviously wouldn't recognize the point. You might consider having
your deaf student try some other format, like L-D or public debate, where
the lack of speed would be less of a hindrance.
--Alan
__________________
Alan Dove
N3IMU
ad52@columbia.edu
References:
Archive created by Jonathan Stanton (jonathan@cs.jhu.edu)
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