Forbes: Changing Technologies For The Deaf

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Forbes: Changing Technologies For The Deaf

Deaf News: Forbes.com - 4 Game-Changing Technologies For The Deaf And Hard Of Hearing.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are more than 360 million people worldwide with a disabling hearing loss, including 32 million children and one-third of people over 65 years of age. Hearing loss may result from genetic causes, complications at birth, certain infectious diseases, chronic ear infections, the use of particular drugs, exposure to excessive noise and aging.



One of the main impacts of hearing loss is on the individual’s ability to communicate with others, since spoken language development is often delayed in children with deafness. Limited access to services and exclusion from communication can have a significant impact on everyday life, causing feelings of loneliness, isolation and frustration, particularly among older people with hearing loss.



Recent advances in technology have the potential to improve the quality of life for those who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. Here’s a look at four products in this space that caught our attention.



MotionSavvy UNI: MotionSavvy, founded by a team of students from Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf, announced “the world’s first two-way communication software for the Deaf.” UNI translates American Sign Language (ASL) into speech, and speech into text. It utilizes a special camera to track the location of both hands and all ten fingers. Graphic representations of the hands provide live feedback to make sure gestures are being captured correctly. The software’s dictionary can be expanded with customized signs added by the user. There’s also an option to upload those signs to the Internet, to share with others. The more an individual uses the system, the more accurate and tailored it becomes. To facilitate the Hearing-to-Deaf half of the communication, the package also includes Dragon Nuance Pro, one of the leading pieces of voice recognition software. Interested customers will have to wait for MotionSavvy UNI, but not long.



The company is planning to release it in September 2015. The video below gives a high level overview of the concept... Read Full Story with Videos: forbes.com/sites/robertszczerba/2015/04/21/4-game-changing-technologies-for-the-deaf-and-hard-of-hearing/



Related Post:

New Technology of Communication for the Deaf

Future Of Electronic Devices For The Deaf

New York City’s First Deaf Taxi Drivers

Friday, February 20, 2015

New York City’s First Deaf Taxi Drivers

Exclusive Interviews: Meet one of New York City’s first Deaf uber drivers.



NEW YORK CITY - Pin Lu Was an accountant before ferrying passengers; ‘Deaf people are good drivers because they focus and pay attention’ Many initially convey surprise or concern when they discover he can’t hear, but he said being Deaf gives him an advantage in honk-filled. In many ways, Pin Lu is a typical UberX driver.



He uses his own car, complete with a crocheted owl dangling from the rearview mirror, to ferry passengers who hail him via the popular ride-sharing app.



He often works long hours, saving to start his own business someday. And he takes pride in his user ratings, saying he has earned 4.82 out of a possible 5 stars. But when New Yorkers step into Mr. Lu’s green 2011 Honda Accord, many are surprised to be handed a note asking them to type a destination into the GPS.



Mr. Lu, the note explains, is Deaf.



“Let me know if you have a preferred route by using your hand motion as direction,” it reads. “If you have any questions, knock your hand to my shoulder. Write/type note to me as communication.”



Uber Technologies Inc. estimates it has about 40 Deaf “driver-partners” across the U.S. and predicts that number is likely to grow as the company expands into new markets.



Mr. Lu, a spokeswoman said, is one of its first in the New York area.



Mr. Lu, 29 years old, was born without hearing in Fuzhou, China, and immigrated to Queens, New York with his family when he was 10.



After earning an accounting degree from the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2011, he spent about two years doing accounting work for the Defense Department in Rome, N.Y., but he grew tired of small-town life “in the middle of nowhere,” he says.



Mr. Lu moved back to the New York area and switched paths, becoming a driver for Uber and occasionally for its competitor Lyft, earning his Taxi and Limousine Commission license in July.



Most weeks, he said, he now spends five to seven days a week seven to 10 hours a day behind the wheel.



Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing people in New York can get a driver's license with a restriction specifying they need a hearing aid or a full-view rearview mirror, according to the state Department of Motor Vehicles.



The Taxi and Limousine Commission doesn’t register or track the disabilities of its licensees, a representative said... Read more: The Wall Street Journal: Meet One of New York City’s First Deaf Uber Drivers

New Technology of Communication for the Deaf

Friday, October 24, 2014

New Technology of Communication for the Deaf

VIDEO: [CC] - No more depend interpreters in the future ? MotionSavvy introduces Uni - a two way communication tool for the Deaf and Hearing.



With recent advancements in gesture recognition technology, it is now possible to provide the millions of Deaf and Hard of Hearing people worldwide with a affordable tool to communicate with their peers.



UNI uses advanced gesture recognition technology called Leap Motion, this allows users to see how their signs appear on camera, which helps to make sure signs are input correctly and avoid missing important information.



What UNI does for you ? First of its kind device translates sign language into audio and spoken word to text, finally empowering the Deaf and Hard of Hearing to lead full lives and boundless careers. More details at www.motionsavvy.com

Sign To Speech - Powered by motion gesture recognition technologies, UNI translates signs into audible speech for hearing individuals.



Speech to Text - Using voice recognition technology, UNI identifies audible speech and converts it to text for Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals.



Leap Motion V2 Tracking Developer Beta - Demo

Developer beta of Leap Motion's V2 tracking. Learn more at https://developer.leapmotion.com



More details at www.motionsavvy.com

Changing Research of Deaf Education

Monday, July 7, 2014

Changing Research of Deaf Education

VIDEO: Captions - Professor Marc Marschark, Editor Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education helps Oxford University Press to changing research of Deaf education.



Marc Marschark, Ph.D., is a Professor at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, a college of Rochester Institute of Technology, Editor of the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, reflects on how a partnership with Oxford University Press has helped the journal to fundamentally change research in the field of Deaf studies, language, and education.



Professor Marschark is the founding Editor of the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education and Series Editor for Perspectives on Deafness , both published by Oxford University Press.



Professor Marc Marschark's primary research and teaching interests focus on language and cognition among Deaf and Hearing Adults; interactions of language, cognitive, and social development of Deaf children; and links between cognitive processes (e.g., memory, problem solving) and literacy among Deaf students. He is now developing a research program concerning several aspects of sign language interpreting.

Video by Oxford Academic (Oxford University Press)



Read full article - http://jdsde.oxfordjournals.org/

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(c) Oxford University Press