SWift -- A SignWriting editor to bridge between deaf world and e-learning

TL;DR

SWift is an advanced SignWriting editor designed to facilitate collaboration and e-learning for the deaf community by simplifying sign composition and integration into various platforms.

Contribution

It introduces a user-friendly SignWriting editor supporting sign composition with glyphs, enabling easier access to ICT and e-learning for the deaf community.

Findings

Supports collaborative SignWriting editing

Simplifies sign composition process

Facilitates integration into various platforms

Abstract

SWift (SignWriting improved fast transcriber) is an advanced editor for SignWriting (SW). At present, SW is a promising alternative to provide documents in an easy-to-grasp written form of (any) Sign Language, the gestural way of communication which is widely adopted by the deaf community. SWift was developed SW users, either deaf or not, to support collaboration and exchange of ideas. The application allows composing and saving desired signs using elementary components, called glyphs. The procedure that was devised guides and simplifies the editing process. SWift aims at breaking the "electronic" barriers that keep the deaf community away from ICT in general, and from e-learning in particular. The editor can be contained in a pluggable module; therefore, it can be integrated everywhere the use of SW is an advisable alternative to written "verbal" language, which often hinders information grasping by deaf users.