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.
Featured Innovation
Señas y Sonrisas (Signs and Smiles)
An app offering resources for hearing families with deaf children, including a dictionary of Nicaraguan Sign Language.
