A mobile application that serves as a guide for Filipino Sign Language (FSL) will soon be available.
The app, dubbed FSL Buddy 2.0, was created for those interested in FSL, and to serve as a supplementary e-resource for students enrolled in the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde FSL Learning Program.
FSL, the natural sign language used by the majority of the Filipino Deaf individuals, hearing interpreters, and allies, is a form of visual and manual communication with its own linguistic features such as grammar and syntax.
The user-friendly app allows learners to easily search or browse through categories. It includes sensitivity and awareness orientation about the Deaf, complemented with lessons on foundational visual-gestural communication.
The first edition released in 2018 had over 200 FSL signs that ranged from the alphabet, pronouns, adjectives, and verbs to numbers such as time, months, and years. FSL Buddy 2.0 is set to include more requested signs and phrases.
The current version likewise provides interpretations for family members, animals, places, food, and colors. It contains educational videos with a Deaf signer demonstrating variations of the FSL signs with the equivalent words and phrases.
