One of the most challenging projects that Ken Carter and Professor Harold Silver embarked upon was starting to write a book entitled ‘The technology revolution and deafness’. Sadly, this book was never completed due to the deaths of Harold and his wife Pam ela, but we did make lots of progress with a number of chapters, except for the final ones. Ken Carter is determined to publish a book and dedicate it to his outstanding mentor and friend and Harold’s devoted and highly talented wife.

In this article published in the May issue of the BATOD (British Association of Teachers of Deaf Children and Young People) Magazine, Ken Carter shares how the book aims to explore how information and communications technology (ICT) can improve the literacy and communication skills of deaf individuals. It draws on 40 years of experience working with deaf children, young people, and adults, as well as research on the significance of ICT in reading, writing, and communication skills for deaf people.

The book emphasizes the need to embrace ICT as an educational tool for creating an interactive environment at home, school, and the workplace. The project also plans to involve Dr. Vinton Cerf, a renowned internet pioneer, and his wife Sigrid Cerf, who is profoundly deaf. The research project will encompass controlled experiments, field research, interviews, and questionnaires to gather data on deaf individuals’ experiences in learning to read, write, and communicate using ICT. It aims to provide insights into the challenges faced by deaf children and adults and assist in improving their literacy and communication skills. The book also explores the importance of visual literacy and the role of ICT in education, highlighting the impact of technologies such as sign language and subtitling on literacy and communication skills.

Click below to view the full article as published in the May edition of the BATOD Magazine.

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This edition of the magazine contains contributions for the theme ‘Technology’. It also features contributions from practitioners in deaf education, articles about BATOD resources, news from charity groups and research studies.