Improving sign language access and learning for deaf children in low-resource contexts
The Grand Challenge
Deaf children lack access to sign language and sign language-enabled learning
Of the estimated 32 million deaf children around the world, 80 percent do not have access to education, and only two percent receive education in sign language. This is particularly true in areas of the world with few resources, profoundly affecting deaf children who already face tremendous barriers to economic and social opportunities. Without early exposure to language, children who are deaf fail to develop social and cognitive skills at the same rate as their peers, hindering their ability to learn to read and write and isolating them from society.
The Big Idea
Creative solutions for accessing language and learning in local sign languages
The Sign On For Literacy prize competition sought innovations that increase sign language and literacy outcomes for deaf children in low-resource contexts. The prize awarded creative solutions for expanding access to local sign languages, sign language-enabled early grade reading materials, and reading instruction by engaging families, schools, and communities.
Prize Partners
The ACR GCD Founding Partners thank the following organizations for their collaboration on this competition.
Antura and the Letters app builds foundational literacy skills in Arabic and improves psychosocial well-being for Syrian children who are out of school or struggling in school.
The Sign On For Literacy prize sought technology-based innovations that increase literacy outcomes for deaf children in low resource settings by providing greater access to sign languages, early grade
ACR GCD Alumni, eKitabu's grantee journey is one of four detailed Case Studies that demonstrates key learning about thematic priorities for the USAID Meta Evaluation of Grand Challenges
Learn about open source resources like book creation software, online libraries, books, reading assessments and more, developed by winners of the All Children Reading Grand Challenge.
The Grand Challenge is concluding 12 years of funding and testing innovative EdTech solutions and approaches to increase reading outcomes for marginalized children in low-resource contexts
The app, funded through the EduApp4Syria Prize, was nominated for and received awards celebrating innovation and achievements in the development process