Developing an e-Learning Platform for the Greek Sign Language

In this paper we introduce the characteristics of the educational platform that is being developed within the SYNENNOESE project. The platform integrates avatar and animation technologies, exploiting electronic linguistic resources of the Greek Sign Language (GSL), in order to provide a Greek-to-GSL conversion tool that allows to construct, store and maintain educational material in GSL. Besides reference to tool development in the context of a specific application, emphasis is placed on the adaptability of the Greek-to-GSL converter as a tool in line with the requirement for Universal Access and the Design for All principles in the context of Information Society.

[1]  Barry L. Loeb.  Editorial , 1906, Edinburgh Medical Journal.

[2]  Mark Wells,et al.  Virtual signing: capture, animation, storage and transmission-an overview of the ViSiCAST project , 2000 .

[3]  Margriet Verlinden,et al.  A Signing Avatar on the WWW , 2001, Gesture Workshop.

[4]  Richard Kennaway,et al.  Experience with and Requirements for a Gesture Description Language for Synthetic Animation , 2003, Gesture Workshop.

[5]  M F Story,et al.  Maximizing usability: the principles of universal design. , 1998, Assistive technology : the official journal of RESNA.

[6]  Zhisheng Huang,et al.  STEP: a Scripting Language for Embodied Agents , 2004, Life-like characters.

[7]  John O. Isenhath.  The Linguistics of American Sign Language , 1990 .

[8]  Bencie Woll,et al.  The Linguistics of British Sign Language: An Introduction , 1999 .

[9]  Constantine Stephanidis,et al.  Universal access in the information society , 1999, HCI.

[10]  Stavroula-Evita Fotinea,et al.  Multipurpose Design and Creation of GSL Dictionaries , 2004 .

[11]  Ian Marshall,et al.  The development of language processing support for the ViSiCAST project , 2000, Assets '00.

[12]  Stelios Piperidis,et al.  A Robust Parser for Unrestricted Greek Text , 2000, LREC.

[13]  Richard Kennaway,et al.  Synthetic Animation of Deaf Signing Gestures , 2001, Gesture Workshop.

[14]  Constantine Stephanidis,et al.  Universal Access in the Information Society: Methods, Tools, and Interaction Technologies , 2001, Universal Access in the Information Society.

[15]  G C Vanderheiden.  Universal design and assistive technology in communication and information technologies: alternatives or complements? , 1998, Assistive technology : the official journal of RESNA.

[16]  Éva Sáfár,et al.  The Architecture of an English-Text-to-Sign-Languages Translation System , 2001 .

[17]  W. Stokoe.  Sign Language Structure , 1980 .