Festival; The Sign Of Our Times

Originally broadcast on television,., these programs are targeted towards the deaf and hearing-impaired. What makes the shows unique is that they use "open-captions" and full signing which require no decoder. To date, only some 180,000 decoders have been sold which means that only a small percentage of the 34 million deaf and hearing-impaired population is being served. Both of the programs we examined above were well done, with the pluses and minuses of most television variety shows. Comedian Norm Crosby guides viewers through a tour of various arts (mime, song, dance, theatre) as performed by the hearing-impaired in The Sign Of Our Times, which features excerpts from Peter Shaffer's play Equus, a storytelling session for a group of hearing-impaired youngsters, a colorful song and dance production by the Happy Handfuls of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", and discussions about American Sign Language with noted educators. Festival is an ongoing series, with two half-hour episodes provided on each tape. Deaf actress Freda Norman is a powerhouse of energy, and her retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" is a spirited rendition that would be enjoyed by all. Geared toward young people, the Festival series also features segments on "Famous Deaf Personalities", "Special Moments in History", and interviews with children. Other series include: Hear Dog!, on training dogs, and the Emmy-nominated Say It With Sign. The entire 157 programs are available for $7,180. Libraries serving large hearing-impaired populations would do well to consider purchasing a substantial amount of the programming. Others might want to try out a few programs, and see how well they do. Recommended. (Available from: Raymond Horn Syndication, 8200 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 90211.)