postscript to Jesus knows sign

Wycliffe Bible Translators and a ministry to the deaf — Deaf Opportunity Outreach International (DOOR) — will work with teams of deaf translators from various nations to bring the Scripture in video form to different groups of deaf people. Since early 2009, Wycliffe Associates has worked closely with DOOR, starting with construction of DOOR's international headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
"Being blind separates you from things, but being deaf separates you from people," explained Bruce Smith, president/CEO at Wycliffe Associates, citing American author Helen Keller, who became blind and deaf as a young child. "We want to make sure that being deaf doesn't separate you from God," Smith said.
Contrary to popular belief, many people who use sign languages are like oral learners and cannot read the Scriptures. Moreover, sign languages are not based on the spoken language in the country of origin. A person from Latin America, for example, would not be signing in Spanish, but in their own unique expressions.
According to Wycliffe Associates, which mobilizes volunteers and resources to support Bible translation efforts, there are more than 200 identified sign languages being used in the world and some 70 million people worldwide who communicate with sign language. Only people who use American Sign Language have the New Testament in video form, while video recording of the Old Testament is in the process. No other known sign languages in the world have the Bible in complete form.
Wycliffe Associates has sent construction volunteers to San Jose, Costa Rica, where they completed the remodeling of a building that will be used as a studio to record the video translation. They plan to build two more studios in Latin America and as many as ten more studios in the years to come to help with sign language translations. [ChristianPost.com]