Low-cost Encyclopaedia for people with
hearing disabilities – Sign Language @ An information hub
for all
When
curiosity gets the better of you, you simply Google your query. Answers clarifying
your doubts come in both long and short form from different sources. But that
is the easiest thing for you.
However, an
easy every day activity for abled people isn’t quite the same for people with
disabilities. And Jahnavi Joshi and Nupura Kirloskar from BleeTech Innovations,
not only understand that, but also empathise with it so much that they made it
their aim to change that.
Over the
course of six months, Jahnavi and Nupura built AskBlee, which is essentially a
low-cost encyclopaedia especially for people with hearing disabilities.
“Information and knowledge, like language, isn’t perceived alike by everyone.
It differs from person to person,” begins Nupura, explaining their innovation.
“Similarly, people with hearing disabilities do not perceive the English
language the same way as the abled crowd. And our aim is to make this
information accessible for people with hearing disabilities,” she says.
With the aim
to make information and knowledge easily accessible for hearing disabled
people, Nupura and Jahnavi designed AskBlee as a simple way of asking questions
and receiving answers — in any desired language, including the Indian Sign
Language.
“One of the
biggest hindrances people with hearing disabilities face on a regular basis is
inaccessible knowledge owing to language posing as a hurdle,” says the
25-year-old Nupura. “The population of hearing disabled people is nearly 27
million (Thomson Reuters Foundation, 2017). But, even in schools, children
aren’t taught the Indian Sign Language (ISL). To overcome this, we also have
short videos teaching a user in the sign language,” she continues.
Through the
app, Nupura, Jahnavi and their team of four, answer queries from thousands of
people. “The queries we receive are spread across a plethora of subjects. From
general knowledge and politics to current affairs and English learning, we are
asked anything and everything,” explains Nupura. “And we ensure that we respond
to every query. All one needs to go is to type their question on WhatsApp on
the number 8828983830. They can even send in their query in a question-video in
ISL format and we will answer in the preferred language,” she says.
The girls,
who are also trained in classical dance form, have in the past worked on
another innovation that enables the deaf community to dance on rhythm patterns
(titled BleeWatch). Through YouTube channel, BleeTV, the girls create
entertainment and education videos in ISL to break barriers between the hearing
and the deaf — all on one platform. “We have even made an ISL video on how to
impress a girl. It is a fun, light video that addresses the concern,” laughs
Nupura.
When the duo
submitted their innovation to Enable Makeathon, a programme initiated by the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and its partners to develop
prototypes and affordable solutions for challenges faced by persons with
disabilities, particularly those living in rural areas, they were met with more
than just applause — they won over `16 lakh as funding.
Deepti Soni
from ICRC has been working on the Enable Makeathon project for close to a year.
“The entire aim of the project is to source innovative prototypes for
challenges faced by people with disabilities in their everyday lives,” she
begins. “Teams of engineers, scientists, designers, innovators, persons with
disabilities, humanitarians, manufacturers, investors and entrepreneurs
competed against each other for funding and grants enabling them to further
develop and market their innovations. The purpose of the programme is to crowd
source prototype solutions and products to address 12 challenges related to
accessibility and employability, which are faced by persons who are hearing
impaired, sight impaired, or living with locomotor disabilities,” she explains.
For Nupura
and Jahnavi, the next step is important. “There is so much potential in this
app and the only way forward is ahead. We aim to collaborate with corporate
companies across banking, health care and e-commerce sector, and make their
content accessible for our audience,” says Nupura.
Regards
Prof. Pralhad Jadhav
Master of Library &
Information Science (NET Qualified)
Senior Manager @ Knowledge
Repository
Khaitan & Co
Twitter Handle | @Pralhad161978
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