This paper presents Finger-Chat, a novel multi-mode chat system designed to teach pictorial representations of Fingerspelling to children and young adults. Fingerspelling is the signed equivalent of the alphabet that is used by deaf people to communicate. The Finger-Chat system allows users to interact with each other, via a real-time instant messaging system using Fingerspelling, English, or a combination of both vocabularies. Finger-Chat has been designed to enable hearing and deaf students to interact with one another on an equal basis, enhancing the possibility of providing a true egalitarian learning environment.