Manos Unidas

An interactive corpus of sign language words, a smartphone app, and a literacy outreach program for deaf children and their families

Manos Unidas
Young child who is deaf plays games on floor with two adult assisting

An interactive corpus of sign language words, a smartphone app, and a literacy outreach program for deaf children and their families


Project Name

Señas y Sonrisas (Signs and Smiles)

Location Implemented

Nicaragua

Technology Used

Assistive Technology, Software/Apps

Competition Entered

Sign On For Literacy Prize

Reading Skill Targeted

Pre-Reading, Reading Environment

Status

Finalist

Amount Award

Up to $250,000

Collaborators/Partners

National Deaf Association of Nicaragua (ANSNIC – Estelí) and four deaf primary school teachers

The Challenge

Of the estimated 32 million deaf children globally, 80% do not have access to education and only 2% receive education in sign language. Without early access to language, children 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 over the course of their lives.

The Big Idea

The Señas y Sonrisas (Signs and Smiles) project will create an interactive, community-led corpus of Nicaraguan Sign Language (NSL) signs and their relation to Spanish words; an app for smartphones and tablets designed to facilitate learning and use of NSL; and a literacy outreach program focused on children and their families living in rural areas of Nicaragua who do not have access to special education.

Blogs and Media

Research and Resources

Connect with the Innovator

Website

https://manos-unidas.org/

Organization Type

Non Profit

Headquarters

Storrs Mansfield, CT, USA