Deaf around the World is a compendium of work by scholars and activists on the creation, context, and form of sign languages, and on the social issues and civil rights of Deaf communities. Renowned contributors such as James Woodward, Yerker Andersson, and Paddy Ladd offer new histories and overviews of major topics. Each chapter is followed by a response from a pre-eminent thinker in the field. The volume includes studies of sign languages and Deaf communities in Australia, Brazil, Britain, China, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Myanmar, Nicaragua, South Africa, Southeast Asia, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States.

For artists, designers, and all with an interest in Buddhist and Tibetan art, this is the first exhaustive reference to the seemingly infinite variety of symbols found throughout Tibetan art in line drawings, paintings, and ritual objects. Hundreds of the author's line drawings depict all the major Tibetan symbols and motifs--landscapes, deities, animals, plants, gurus, mudras (ritual hand gestures), dragons, and other mythic creatures--ranging from complex mythological scenes to small, simple ornaments.

It is the third most commonly used language in North America. It has its own beauty, its own unmistakable form, and its own inherent culture. It is American Sign, the language of the deaf. Now, Gabriel Grayson, teacher extraordinaire, has put together a book that makes signing accessible, easy, and fun. Using more than 1,400 photographs, he has created a comprehensive primer to the techniques, words, and phrases of signing. Each word is accompanied by a photo or series of photos that show hand, face, and body expressions. And along with each image is text that details every movement. The book begins by looking at the history and nature of both the language and the deaf community. Next, it explains the basics of signing, including the alphabet, numbers, physical movements, and facial expressions. The balance of the book provides a complete guide to words in sign language. Throughout the book, the author has included informative insets that focus on fascinating aspects of deaf history, culture, language, and trivia. Inset topics include how sign language got its start in baseball; how signing differs around the world; the latest advances in electronic communications for the deaf; and much more. Although Gabriel Grayson can hear, he is uniquely qualified to have authored this book. Born to parents who were both totally deaf, Grayson's first means of trained communication was sign language. The inspirational story of his childhood was first the subject of a published article, and then the basis for a moving ABC made-for-television movie. Professor Grayson is the chairperson of the Department of Sign Language at New School University in New York City. In addition, he is a principal court-appointed sign language interpreter for the NYC judicial system. As such, he has been involved in over 1,000 criminal cases as an advocate and interpreter. Gabriel Grayson also conducts sign language tours at the American Museum of Natural History for a

Due to the rise of new applications in electronic appliances and pervasive devices, automated hand gesture recognition (HGR) has become an area of increasing interest. HGR developments have come a long way from the traditional sign language recognition (SLR) systems to depth and wearable sensor-based electronic devices. Where the former are more laboratory-oriented frameworks, the latter are comparatively realistic and practical systems. Based on various gestural traits, such as hand postures, gesture recognition takes different forms. Consequently, different interpretations can be associated with gestures in various application contexts. A considerable amount of research is still needed to introduce more practical gesture recognition systems and associated algorithms. Challenges and Applications for Hand Gesture Recognition highlights the state-of-the-art practices of HGR research and discusses key areas such as challenges, opportunities, and future directions. Covering a range of topics such as wearable sensors and hand kinematics, this critical reference source is ideal for researchers, academicians, scholars, industry professionals, engineers, instructors, and students.

Learn to communicate without words with these authentic signs! Learn over 525 signs developed by the Sioux, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Arapahoe, and other tribes. Written instructions and diagrams show you how to make the words and construct sentences. Book also contains 290 pictographs (language in pictures) of the Sioux and Ojibway tribes.