Stories and signs in an e-learning environment for deaf people

An important field for model-driven development of interfaces is the consideration of users with disabilities. Interface design for deaf people presents specific problems, since it needs to be based on visual communication, incorporating unusual forms of interaction, in particular gesture-based ones. Standard solutions for model-driven development of visual interfaces lack specific constructs for structuring these more sophisticated forms of interaction. This paper discusses such issues in the context of the development of a deaf-centered e-learning environment. Sign Languages enter this context as a suitable alternative communication code, both in video form and through one of their most successful written forms, namely SignWriting. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.