Read My Lips

May is "Better Speech and Hearing Month". Read My Lips, a six-tape video series is aimed towards helping people to acquire lipreading skills. Using real life situations, the actors in the program demonstrate simple words, phrases, and later on, sentences. While there is no voice on the soundtrack, the programs use soft background music. After each presentation, open caption responses appear, so the viewer can ascertain if hisher perception is correct. The progression becomes increasingly difficult. The series is meant to be used as supplemental material in a classroom or as home instruction. (However, viewers should be forewarned: the material presupposes some prior knowledge of basic lipreading skills; there is no explanation of cognates and other letters, or the shaping of the lips required to pronounce these.) Unlike sign language videos, there is very little available in this area. As a practice tool used in conjunction with other materials, these low cost titles could be useful. The tapes come with an easy to understand topic list, forms, and outline. Recommended for purchase as a series by large libraries. Others may wish to start out with the first tape, and acquire the rest as needed. (Andrea Wilson, Broward County Library, Fort Lauderdale, FL) (Available from Speech-reading Laboratory, Inc., P.O. Box 649130, Mustang, OK 73064; 1-800-433-6370).