Recipient Institution:
Sustainable Development Network Programme (SDNP) Pakistan

Project Leader: Sahabat Saeed Khan - Information Manager, email sahabat.khan@iucnp.org

URL: www.pad.sdnpk.org

Amount and Duration: USD $ 28,500 / 12 months

Abstract of Project
Sign languages act as a great motivator for all hearing impaired people as they help people to connect and allow the deaf to break through their isolation for greater integration into society. Beside the traditional use of sign language, modern information and communication technologies are also becoming an increasing flexible medium for deaf people to communicate amongst themselves and with hearing individuals.

Through this project, SDNP will be actively researching emerging communication technologies for developing Pakistani sign language as a knowledge tool with and the effects they have on deaf people's learning as well as improved communication between deaf and the hearing. The research will be done in two parts, and later a large focus group for qualitiative and quantitiative feedback will be organised.

This challenging theoretical and practical research for SDNP will focus on practical and replicable learning solutions for the deaf and would be modelled using on-line (web) and off-line (CD-ROM) technologies. The CD-ROM will comprise lesson plans/ assessment tests graphically illustrated through Pakistani sign language for ease of understanding and learning. Selected data sets from the exercises will be made available online through Internet as a freeware for easy downloads by the deaf community. If successful in its objectives and impact, the product can be widely adapted across the country with the aim of greater development and integration of the deaf of Pakistan into the society.