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Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education Advance Access originally published online on May 20, 2008
The Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education 2009 14(1):99-104; doi:10.1093/deafed/enn020
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© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

The Use of Visual Feedback During Signing: Evidence From Signers With Impaired Vision

Karen Emmorey

San Diego State University

Franco Korpics

San Diego State University Research Foundation

Karen Petronio

Eastern Kentucky University


  Abstract

The role of visual feedback during the production of American Sign Language was investigated by comparing the size of signing space during conversations and narrative monologues for normally sighted signers, signers with tunnel vision due to Usher syndrome, and functionally blind signers. The interlocutor for all groups was a normally sighted deaf person. Signers with tunnel vision produced a greater proportion of signs near the face than blind and normally sighted signers, who did not differ from each other. Both groups of visually impaired signers produced signs within a smaller signing space for conversations than for monologues, but we hypothesize that they did so for different reasons. Signers with tunnel vision may align their signing space with that of their interlocutor. In contrast, blind signers may enhance proprioceptive feedback by producing signs within an enlarged signing space for monologues, which do not require switching between tactile and visual signing. Overall, we hypothesize that signers use visual feedback to phonetically calibrate the dimensions of signing space, rather than to monitor language output.

Correspondence should be sent to Dr. Karen Emmorey, Laboratory for Language and Cognitive Neuroscience, 6495 Alvarado Road, Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92120 (e-mail: kemmorey{at}mail.sdsu.edu).

Received December 14, 2007; revised April 15, 2008; accepted April 18, 2008


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