Launching of the new Jordan-Arabic Sign Language Dictionary

HRH Prince Mir’ed bin Raad, president of the “Higher Council for Disability” (HCD) was guest of honor. Complimentary dictionaries, in a beautiful wooden box, were handed to HRH Prince Mir’ed bin Raad for the support which the dictionary project received of the HCD; to the representative of the “Jordan AHLI Bank” which has taken the printing costs on its behalf; to the vice-president of the “Balqa Applied University” and the rector of the “Princess Rahma Community College for Special Education” in Salt which has granted technical support.

Then two Deaf members of the original Dictionary Team, Ahlam and Yousef, were honoured for all the work and this great achievement. Also the publisher, who created a wonderful product, was not forgotten. The dictionary contains more than 800 pages with about 6000 images of signs, words and expressions including an extensive cross index in Arabic and English.

Some short speeches and presentations memorized also the German organisation CBM, the American organisations MILL NECK and ERD (Episcopal Relief) and others, which have provided financial support. Students of the Institute provided a Jordanian dance performance in traditional costume, and a short play that the enormous importance featured of a dictionary for example, for Deaf children and their hearing parents.

At the end of the festivities a good friend of the Institute, landgrave Mamdouh Bisharat, invited/asked the invited guests for a lunch. In his welcome speech Br. Andrew explained that a sign language dictionary is nearly the same as an identification document. Such as a passport is giving information about name and place or country of origin, language and culture of the bearer, so a sign language dictionary is giving information about Deaf people, their (mother-)sign language and the specific Deaf culture that they identify with, which actually has nothing to do with non- hearing. Hearing children of deaf people can also belong to this culture.

In the near future the Institute hopes to publish or to republish 18 books in the range of Education for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deafblind, Sign Language, Deaf Culture, Child Protection and Teacher Training. These books will also serve as basic for a new generation of teachers.