"Signs in Crisis" is a smart-phone application for communicating in sign language with deaf and hard of hearing people during emergency situations.
The Israeli Sign Language (ISL) is a visual-spatial language, that serves the Hebrew speaking Israeli deaf community. From a linguistic point of view, the ISL is a full natural language, expressed by hand movement. This language includes a rich lexicon of signs and complex grammar.
The guide consists of sentences and words for communication with the deaf and hard of hearing, and includes 16 questions, 22 key sentences, three sentences of support for victims and people in distress and a list of additional 48 words that include possible places for the occurrence of emergency situations, verbs, feelings, names of family members and of care providers and professionals.
The application was translated into written Hebrew, English, Russian and Arabic. The sentences appear according to the ISL grammar. Numbers are therefore attached to each sign to show their sequence. In most cases, in ISL there is no gender difference in verb forms and nouns for, thus the same sign applies for both genders. The signs are accompanied by matched phrases. Beyondthe preset content of this guide, users can communicate by writing on the telephone display (screen).
Guides’ objectives:
1.To facilitate basic communication with the distressed deaf/hard of hearing individual, until a professional interpretation service is available
2.To aid professionals who work during emergencies with the deaf and hard of hearing, for example EMS workers, social workers, psychologists, home front command, hospital staff (doctors, nurses), policemen and other community workers.
3.To document a basic lexicon of signs for emergency situations.
The application is user-friendly and can be easily and quickly employed during any emergency situation.