Spreading the Word: A Deaf Boy Joins the Gang

SPREADING THE WORD: A DEAF BOY JOINS THE GANG
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Elizabeth Jensen]
“Maya & Miguel” teaches children about the value of Spanish and English bilingualism. So it only seemed natural to incorporate a third language, American Sign Language, in an episode. But turning what seemed like a logical idea into reality was another matter. The logistics of animating sign language that was detailed and accurate enough to read on the screen stretched production of the episode to nine months, far longer than typical, and pushed costs up by 50 percent. The episode will rerun every day this week and will be seen with captions of the dialogue. The episode introduces Marco, who speaks American Sign Language, occasionally with help from an interpreter. Marco befriends Tito (the younger cousin of the twins Maya and Miguel) and helps him conquer his fear of making mistakes when he speaks English, his second language.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/25/arts/television/25sign.html?_r=1&oref=...
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