The RIDBC Auslan Tutor is a portable video-based teaching resource for Auslan - Australian Sign Language. It's been developed by Australia's Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children specifically for use with the iPhone and iPod touch.

This is the first Auslan based teaching program I've seen for the iPod Touch/iPhone. ATMac has looked at two previous programs which are based on ASL (American Sign Language), Sign Smith ASL and iSign, which both functioned mainly as dictionaries with animated characters. The Auslan Tutor is based on recorded video rather than animation, which means the file size is very large - the application is 812mb for the 500 signs it contains.

However, the Auslan Tutor has some interesting features that will help learners to understand proper sign use in context and learn some grammar too. From the website:

Each sign has five corresponding entries which can be viewed on demand as often as necessary. The five entries are:

• a photo of the handshape used to form the sign
• a video clip demonstrating the single sign
• a video clip of the sign used in a phrase
• a video clip of the phrase used in a sentence
• a text note about Auslan grammar that is pertinent to the sign, phrase, or sentence. These notes have been included to help the user gain a basic understanding of the grammatical structure of Auslan.

This clear and easy to follow hierarchy allows the user to build upon their previous knowledge as they move through the entries.

Of course this is not a program to teach somebody Auslan on its own - no program can replace a live teacher who can correct your hand-shape, teach you about Deaf culture and history, and explain Auslan grammar and syntax.

This program has been designed for families of young deaf children who are learning Auslan, so the 500 signs are those which will be important to teaching and interacting with small children. It may be less helpful for adult learners who are interested in a different set of signs, but hopefully now one program has been produced more will follow.

The RIDBC Auslan Tutor costs AU$49.99 from the Australian iTunes store. Their press release indicates that a "lite" version of the application which includes a selection of key Auslan signs will be available for AU$2.49, in early April 2009.

Website: RIDBC Auslan Tutor

- Ricky Buchanan

Sign Smith ASL is an animated tutorial and phrase book for American Sign Language (ASL) from VDCom3D.

Our ASL team of 4 Deaf professionals has created these accurate signs based on their native language experiences. VDCom3D continues to research the needs of the Deaf community and provide tools for learning and accessibility.

The VDCom3D company have also created several programs for ASL reference using animated characters, but unfortunately these are only available for Windows.

As with iSign which we reviewed previously, a program like this can never replace classes with a live instructor. It can teach you individual words but not the grammar and syntax of ASL, which is very different from English grammar and syntax. And, of course, it can't teach you about Deaf culture and history - which is very important to understand when learning any language. But for those who are taking classes, or wish to augment existing knowledge of ASL, it's a great resource.

The program may also be of use to supporters and educators of people who use Makaton, Signed English/Signed Exact English (SEE), Pigeon Signed English (PSE)/Contact sign, Simultaneous Communication (SinCom), and all other communication methods which utilise ASL signs. These modified communication methods are often used by children with developmental delays, people with autism, and those with intellectual impairments as well as deaf and hearing impaired people. Parents teaching approximate ASL gestures for Baby Sign may also be interested in the program.

Three versions of the Sign Smith ASL program are available, from a free version which contains 20 signs to a 1200 sign version which costs US$29.99 at the time of writing this.

Website: Sign Smith ASL

- Ricky Buchanan

iSign is a tutorial and reference program for American Sign Language (ASL) designed specifically for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The program contains an animated phrase book of 800 signs.

Each of the gestures is modelled with a 3D character and completely animated. The vantage point for each sign was chosen so that the user can see the details of the hand positions. These are the ASL signs, not finger spellings.

The program allows users to organise signs by category or alphabetically, and to mark favourites. There is also a quiz mode which tests recall either of all signs or of signs marked as favourites.

A program like this won't replace classes with a live instructor. It can teach you individual words but not the grammar and syntax of ASL, which is very different from English grammar and syntax. And, of course, it can't teach you about Deaf culture and history - which is very important to understand when learning any language. But for those who are taking classes, or wish to augment existing knowledge of ASL, it's a fantastic resource. I wish there were a program like this for Australian Sign Language (Auslan)!

The program may also be of use to supporters and educators of people who use Makaton, Signed English/Signed Exact English (SEE), Pigeon Signed English (PSE)/Contact sign, Simultaneous Communication (SinCom), and all other communication methods which utilise ASL signs. These modified communication methods are often used by children with developmental delays, people with autism, and those with intellectual impairments as well as deaf and hearing impaired people. Parents teaching approximate ASL gestures for Baby Sign may also be interested in the program.

The iDev2 company also has an app which teaches ASL fingerspeling, ABCSign, and a "lite" version of iSign which is free and contains 25 of iSign's 800 signs. You can try out iSign Lite before purchasing iSign to make sure it fits your requirements.

At the time of writing, iSign was retailing for US$9.99 in the iTunes Store.

Website: iSign

- Ricky Buchanan