College student invents new sign system for people who cannot speak

Based on the research she started in January 1998 as an undergraduate student of psychology at the University of Virginia, Nikki Kissane, 21, has developed a new, 500-sign system to help improve communication between people who are nonverbal and their caregivers. The system is called the Simplified Sign System (SSS), and according to Kissane, the required gestures are simple and “mime-like.” Only a small number of separate movements need to be mastered. Kissabe recently graduated from the U to V with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology, which she earned with High Distinction honours.

According to Kissabe’s thesis adviser, Associate Professor of Psychology John Bonvillian, Ph. D., this system is designed for people who have limited memory and diminished fine motor skills, and could improve the means of communication for children with autism and people who have had strokes.

In her research, Kissabe studied 20 different sign language dictionaries from around the world. From all the signs she examined, she selected about 900 that were, in her opinion, the easiest to form and remember. She then doled out 20 words and their corresponding signs each to fellow students and asked them to memorize and reproduce the gestures on cue. She found that the students could recall and correctly from only about 500 signs and it is these signs that now make up her base sign library. To read the thesis, log on to http://www.simplifiedsigns.org

Source: Mentard, Vol. 16, Aug-Oct 2001, Issue no. 4&5
Dated 31 (7) July 2001