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IQALUIT
Those wanting a way to speak an Inuit-friendly sign language, can grab an iPad and check out a brand new app.

Clayton Ungungai, 24, of Baker Lake shows the Inuit Sign Language e-book he hopes others – with or without hearing – will use to learn how to communicate using ISL. - Casey Lessard/NNSL photo

During Inuit Language Week in February, the Canadian Deafness Research and Training Institute showed off an iPad e-book that uses vocabulary flash cards, which are also available in physical form, to teach Inuit Sign Language.

"We had these bigger flash cards that seemed impractical," CDRTI president and CEO Jamie MacDougall said, "but once we put them down to regular card size, we had a lot of demand for them. The project finished officially on March 30, so the digital version came up toward the end of the project."

"It's really good for schools and for teaching deaf children. It helps them go farther and farther in school," Inuit Sign Language user Clayton Ungungai, 24, originally of Baker Lake, said through an interpreter.

Deaf since childhood, Ungungai grew up learning American Sign Language, so there were some learning materials available, but for other supports, "there was nothing. I was all alone, even when I found someone who knew how to sign."

He learned ISL when he moved to Rankin Inlet, subsequently moving to Iqaluit. He wanted to take Inuit Studies at Nunavut Arctic College, but there were no translation supports available for him. Instead, he is pursuing Aboriginal Studies at Algonquin College in Ottawa. When he finishes his education, he plans to return to Iqaluit to teach Aboriginal Studies and sign language. For now, he's helping MacDougall create ISL educational materials.

"ISL is going to have to be developed, so there is a big hunger for materials," MacDougall said. "We don't intend to ignore the ASL, so it's going to be complicated, but everybody's keen on this, so we're working together."

The ISL vocabulary is expanding, with 500 words waiting to go into the official file, he said. The e-book contains the same 60 words as the two-sided paper cards, which resemble playing cards. Each has a word with the ISL sign on one side and the American Sign Language sign on the other.

Many signs are the same in both languages, but many others reflect cultural differences between the two. For example, the ASL sign for milk signifies milking a cow, while the ISL sign uses a finger in the mouth to signify a baby's bottle or mother's breast.

"It's good to do it both at school and at home," he said of using the cards and e-book. "It's good for the parents to learn. I think it helps because the parents can come into the class and it helps them communicate with each other."

Ungungai notes smartphones and tablets aren't only good for using the e-book to learn or share Inuit Sign Language. They also enable deaf people to communicate directly with friends by video chat and text messages.

"I use it for everything," he said, holding his mobile device. "We were on FaceTime yesterday. I do it (sign language) with my deaf friends. It's slow here, but it's fast when I'm in Ottawa."

The digital story and cards can be found as a free book called "Inuit Sign Language" on the iTunes Store. PDF versions are being made for more mobile platforms, but translation and store approval take time, MacDougall said.

The project is partially funding by the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth.

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