Wireless RERC partner, the Center for Advanced Communication Policy (CACP) at Georgia Tech was interviewed by the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) contractor, Galain Solutions. IPAWS has contracted Galain to assist with outreach and awareness efforts and sought expertise on how to “engage communities of interest.” CACP Executive Director, Helena Mitchell, explained the different notification needs of people who are deaf and hard of hearing, noting that people whose primary language is American Sign Language, prefer to communicate in ASL, as opposed to text. Sign language does not translate directly into words, but leans more towards capturing the general conception of the meaning. As such, information can be ‘lost in translation’, especially when idiomatic expressions are used. Two resources that can potentially be utilized to send ASL alerts are DeafLink and Signtel. Signtel offers direct translation of text into sign language almost automatically, whereas DeafLink offers sign language support. Galain Solutions reported on the interview in their Emergency Notification Blog (October 11, 2010) in Emergency Management Magazine. [Source: Emergency Management]
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