Online Video-books

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Online video-books in Argentinian Sign Language (LSA)

Despite the years of schooling there is a high level of illiteracy among the deaf population of Argentina. The goal of this project was to create a website that held short stories and children’s books in video format, narrated in Argentinian Sign Language (LSA). In this way, children with hearing disabilities could have access to reading, and enjoy books in an interactive manner.

Virtual Videobooks in LSA was developed by CANALES (www.canales.org.ar) a non-profit organization in Argentina that wishes to better the education of deaf children, and it was supported by the Argentinean Confederation of Deaf-mute People (Confederación Argentina de Sordomudos CAS: http://www.cas.org.ar/). The Inter-American Development Bank (www.iadb.org/tech) financed the project in the context of its initiative “A World of Solutions”.

With the creation of these videobooks, CANALES estimates that more than 12,000 people will benefit from the project: deaf children, families, and teachers, “Children will exercise their right to enjoy books and stories that give them educational opportunities, and removes them from the environment of exclusion they currently find themselves in. Videobooks will help children become literate and learn Spanish with the aid of deaf mediators whom they can identify with. – CANALES.

List of books produced:

  • Federica Aburrida. Text and illustration: Istvansch. Editorial: SM
  • Detrás de él estaba su nariz. Text and illustration: Istvansch. Editorial: Del Eclipse
  • Federico. Text and illustration: Leo Arias. Editorial: Del Eclipse
  • El Comelibros. Text and illustration: Agustín Comotto. Editorial: Del Eclipse
  • Las pulgas no andan por las ramas. Author: Gustavo Roldán. Ilustrated by Juan Lima. Editorial: Alfaguara
  • Cómo Berta conoció a su gato. Author: Ema Wolf. Ilustrated by Carlus Rodríguez. Editorial: Alfaguara
  • Noticias de un Mono. Author: Silvia Schujer. Illustrated by Poly Bernatene. Editorial: Atlántida
  • ¿A dónde va el príncipe? Author: Graciela Repun y Florencia Esses. Illustrated by Valeria Cis. Editorial: Atlántida
  • La decisión de Teodoro. Text and illustration: Irene Singer. Editorial: Calibroscopio
  • Fiesta de disfraces. Text and illustration: Inés Trigub. Editorial: Pequeño Editor
  • Gastón Ratón y Gastoncito. En un pozo muy oscuro. Text and illustration: Hilb Nora. Editorial: AZ
  • ¿A quién le toca el Durazno? Author: Ah-Hae Yoon. Illustrated by Hye-Won Yang Editorial: Iamiqué
  • Tener un Patito es útil. Text and illustration: Isol. Editorial: Fondo de Cultura Económica
  • Regalo sorpresa. Text and illustration: Isol. Editorial: Fondo de Cultura Económica
  • Julieta y su caja de colores. Text and illustration: Carlos Pellicer López. Editorial: Fondo de Cultura Económica.

Watch the VIDEO of Videolibros ASL production’s backstage.

Main objectives with the IDB

  1. To design a website in the Internet where deaf children can books narrated in ASL.
  2. To edit 15 children’s books, narrated by deaf people in ASL.
  3. To improve the level of reading comprehension of deaf children and teenagers of Argentina.

Results and conclusions

This project concludes in the creation of a website that contains 15 different children’s books, narrated in ASL, that can be accessed by deaf people. In addition, each book has a video with curious facts and activities to do after the reading session.

Narration in each book is introduced and concluded by a short dialogue between an adult and a child, that share stimulating messages such as “age does not matter, we all have the right to read books, children and adults”, “children have a right to storytelling in their language”, “reading is fun”, etc. These brief exchanges hope to promote identification with people who also speak ASL.

Videobooks aims to create scenes in ASL so that children can relate to the visuals and the illustrations but also to the style, intention and message of the author. The narrations are loyal to the text and the ideas of the author but they also express the pieces taking into account the structure of ASL.

Every book offers the possibility of discovering something new after the reading is done. It could be about the origins of the story, about the author, o about the content of the book. The user can access this section by clicking on the button “Curiosidades”. This function exists to encourage conversation after reading, as ‘part of reading is also talking about books’.

The project also hopes to motivate adults, as they can review other elements related to the readings. For example, adults are able to show videos on the Aztec or Egyptian pyramids after reading “Regalo Sorpresa”. Therefore, users are encouraged to talk in ASL about the content with their children while they are learning to read.

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