Ready! Set! Sign!! LLC was established in 1996 as a general partnership (operating under the name The Masters Group) and was converted to a Limited Liability Corporation in 2001. The Ready! Set! Sign!! product line was originally designed and produced as a result of a series of Small Business Innovation Research Program contracts awarded by the US Department of Education from 1996 through 2000. The focus of the contracts were to provide a beginning Sign Language course that would enable hearing children and adults to communicate more effectively with deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in all types of interactive environments. After several years of extensive instructional design, video production, computer programming and product evaluation, the Ready! Set! Sign!! interactive five CD-ROM instructional Sign Language set and accompanying VHS videos for group instruction are available for your purchase.
Daniel Burch, Sharon O'Brien and Mary Lou Novitsky will be your hosts and instructors throughout your Ready! Set! Sign!! instructional experience.
 |
Daniel Burch has a Masters degree in Education of the Deaf from Gallaudet University and a Ph.D. in Education of the Deaf from Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA. He has more than 25 years of experience in the field of Deafness with extensive experience as an interpreter, an educator of deaf children and adults and as an advocate for deaf people. Daniel is a past President of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf who has a national perspective on the standard and regional signs used in our country. Daniel makes presentations and conducts workshops on the topic of interpreting for the deaf both nationally and internationally. |
 |
Sharon O'Brien has a Masters degree in Education of the Deaf from Gallaudet University and is an experienced teacher of deaf children. She is a Co-author and Co-producer of the book and videotapes, From Mime to Sign, and is an accomplished actor, playwright and drama teacher. Sharon has performed in many theatrical productions and has received Advanced Actor Training at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. |
 |
Mary Lou Novitsky has a Bachelor's degree from Gallaudet University and was also a staff member in the Department of Television, Photography, and Educational Technology at Gallaudet University. While in this position, she was the Co-host of Deaf Mosaic, the Emmy-award winning Magazine Program featuring stories about deaf and hard-of-hearing people. Mary Lou has received Emmy awards, as well as other honors, for her work on Deaf Mosaic. |
 |
Martin Noretsky designed and produced Ready! Set! Sign!! and is a Co-author and Co-producer of the book and videotapes, From Mime to Sign. He has a Masters degree in Education of the Deaf from Gallaudet University, a Ph.D. in Educational Technology from the University of Maryland, and has been a professor at Gallaudet University for over 25 years. During this time Martin has taught courses in Instructional Design and Media applications and was an Instructional Designer working with faculty and staff to design and produce instructional materials for Gallaudet students. |
It is important to know that there were dozens of
people responsible for the creation of the Ready!
Set! Sign!! product line.
Please click credits
to view all of these people whose cumulative efforts
made Ready! Set! Sign!! a reality.