It Takes All Types Of Media To Convey A Message!

Rainbow Connection, originally uploaded by taylorkoa22.

What do you see here? Depending on your perspective you may just see colored crayons. However, when you take a closer look, this picture takes on a much greater context. No matter who you are; you represent one of these crayons. It may take a village to raise a child, but first everyone has to know where they fit in as part of this rainbow connection!

So remember when you are creating a communications campaign think about this rainbow of personalities, genders, ethnicities and plain old attitudes. You will be glad you did!

A Teacher Communicates with Her Students using American Sign Language. Sadly, in Peru, these children are ostracized as "crazy."

Local students from the Iquitos, Peru school for the deaf learn about the Amazon Community Animal Rescue program. Their teacher Patty communicates with them using American Sign Language. Sadly, in Peru, these children are ostracized as "crazy.", originally uploaded by amazonactivist.

A teacher named Patty communicates with her students using American Sign Language at the Amazon Community Animal Rescue Program.

Deaf students in Iquitos, Peru visit the Amazon Community Animal Rescue

Deaf students in Iquitos, Peru visit the Amazon Community Animal Rescue, originally uploaded by amazonactivist.

Here are deaf students in Iquitos, Peru,visiting the Amazon Community Animal Rescue, and having a good time!

The Lincoln Memorial At Night!

, originally uploaded by erin m.

Nothing says freedom at night during African History Month like the Lincoln Memorial which is the very site of the famous March on Washington Speech of 1963 by Martin Luther King when he declared, "I have a dream!d"

Button Accordion - Captures The Spirit Of Cajun Country

Button Accordion, originally uploaded by Driven.

This image alone needs no face. When one views this image what is the first thing that comes to mind?

For music lovers and travelers alike, it is the unmistakable image of New Orleans and the Bayou with its wonderful brands of music. Simply put this image says more than a thousand words.

James "Super Chikan" Johnson Performs!

James "Super Chikan" Johnson, originally uploaded by Driven.

Music is music in any language, and the unique artistic design of James
"Super Chikan" Johnson's instrument communicates the vibrant color and style that he uses in his performances.

The Kennedy Center Presents An Interpreting Signing A Performance By Songwriter Nanci Griffith

Interpreter, originally uploaded by Driven.

When you perform at the Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., you know that you have arrived whether you are an artist or a public figure.

Well the same thing applies to interpreters who perform at the Kennedy Center with its large crowds and video cameras everywhere catching your every move, so your communications skills are truly and integral part of the performance.

F l i c k r ! In Sign Language!

f l i c k r ! in sign language, originally uploaded by bitzi.

Now, here is a great way to combine beautiful art with a beautiful language sign: sign language. You hear a lot in the education and technology press about the term edutainment. Edutainment is the merging of education with entertainment, and it is one of the oldest forms of education that dates back to ancient Mesapotamia, Egypt, Greece, Alexandria, China and India.

Rsearch indicates that more than fifty percent of communication is non-verbal, and some experts have contended that this figure may be as much as seventy percent of communication. The deaf world is very aware of this fact, and this is why this beautiful form of communication is so animated and vibrant. It may well be a great way to teach the hearing public how to communicate more effectively through non-verbal methods, visual images and technology which McLuhan (1967) believed would become an electronic extension of the human mind. The Internet has enabled McLuhan's concept of a global village is now reality through Internet mediums like this one that enables me to post this great Flickr image.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Welcome To Hands On Communication!

Hands On Communication is the result of my years working as a hearing person working in the deaf community as an American Sign Language Interpreter. When one is employed in the non-profit sector as a service provider to people with disabilities and a professional in the media business, I have begun come to understand that despite the digital revolution, convergence and edutainment there is still a gap in the research and the commercial marketing and communications for the deaf world and people with disabilities in general.

I hope to increase the body of language in this field through the use of digital technology to create entertaining way to educate the hearing world, as well as the sighted and general populations about sign language and how important it is as a non-verbal communication tool that can aid the hearing world as a teaching tool. Even more importantly, I hope to encourage traditional marketing and advertising agencies to market their products and services to the deaf population, and the blind population as well, through the use of new media.

I am hoping to travel to Germany this summer to research this issue and examine American Sign Language, ASI , and compare it to its international counterpart. Moreover, I hope to create communications products that I normally reserve for the hearing public and adapt it for the deaf community and its hearing and deaf family members who live in the deaf world. The goal is to attempt to bridge the gulf in part between the deaf community and the general public by raising the sensitivity to this very independent group of individuals. It is hoped that some hearing individuals outside of the hearing community will learn American Sign Language and encourage their children to do the same.