Let’s Talk!

As of February 2022, India has five million people with communication disabilities.

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This shows the magnitude of issues that need to be focused upon by speech-language pathologists and audiologists to cater to the needs of those who require services. Indian Sign Language (ISL) has developed over the past century and taught since 2001. As per BBC, about 700 Indian schools teach sign language. ISL has its unique grammar and gestures, but there are some regional differences.

Gen Z’s junior* Year Communication Design student Saashi Jain in — A Whole New World has speculated an AI-enabled system ‘BOL’ (Speak) *for the speech-impaired in the Indian Sub-continent. Introducing the Indian Sign-Language that can also be a part of daily dialect** in an informal manner and promote inclusiveness for the speech impaired thereby enabling them to participate in mainstream communities and society.

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An average Indian speaks four languages easily, their mother tongue, the State language and English which is an official language pan India coupled with Hindi which is the National language. Communicate, Translate, Learn is the new mantra by ‘Bol’ which is speculated as an AI-enabled service platform which can read hand gestures and translate them into the respective language chosen, keeping in mind the diverse cultural demands of the Indian subcontinent. Sign Languages are the only fully accessible languages for deaf persons. Learning Indian Sign Language through this app can help everyone connect with the speech-impaired community. For a hearing person, learning Sign Language is an entirely different experience, making it a fun experience results in learning a new language for Gen Z’

Communicate, Translate, Learn -A Whole New World | AIML

A speech impairment refers to an impaired ability to produce speech sounds and may range from mild to severe. It may include an articulation disorder, characterized by omissions or distortions of speech sounds; a fluency disorder, characterized by atypical flow, rhythm, and/or repetitions of sounds; or a voice disorder, characterized by abnormal pitch, volume, resonance, vocal quality, or duration.

Communicate, Translate, Learn — A Whole New World | AIML

Communicate, Translate and Learn. To educate the society at large and thus empower the differently abled and to make sign language a normal way of communication.

Communicate, Translate, Learn -A Whole New World | AIML

KEY FEATURES OF ‘BOL’: Camera-enabled application- The camera will be able to read and translate sign language. One will be able to translate recorded videos of sign language too. Text can also be translated into Sign Language. There will be video recommendations for the ones who want to learn sign language.

Reliance for the differently abled: Speculated on the Reliance Digital Platform which strives to create a comprehensive workplace environment and leverages its rich and diverse human resources with a sustainable competitive advantage where each one is provided with an opportunity to participate, contribute and grow. Saksham’ is dedicated to highlighting the strengths and contributions of specially-abled associates. Reliance Foundation works with the most marginalized communities across India.

Communicate, Translate, Learn-A Whole New World | AIML

There are perhaps three hundred sign languages in use around the world today. The number is not known with any confidence; new sign languages frequently emerge through creolization and de novo (occasionally through language planning). In some countries, such as Sri Lanka and Tanzania, each school for the deaf may have a different language, known only to its students and sometimes denied by the school; on the other hand, countries may share sign languages, although sometimes under different names (Croatian and Serbian, Indian and Pakistani). Deaf sign languages also arise outside educational institutions, especially in village communities with high levels of congenital deafness, but there are significant sign languages developed for the hearing as well, such as the speech-taboo languages used in aboriginal Australia.

Communicate, Translate, Learn — Gen Z’ now learns a new Language in India

The 300 different sign languages that are in use around the world vary from nation to nation. Even in countries where the same language is spoken, sign language can have many different regional accents that bring subtle variations to people’s use and understanding of signs. The most common sign language is American Sign Language. Throughout human history, deaf people were excluded for being considered useless to society. The Spartans used to throw people with physical disabilities from the mountains, and the Romans into the Tiber River because it was believed that they were not useful for war. During the Middle Ages, deaf people were confined in madhouses. They had no possibility of entering temples or getting married.

It is time the World adapted Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam which is a Sanskrit phrase found in Hindu texts such as the Maha Upanishad, which means “The World Is One Family” and AI-enabled services like ‘BOL’ can give a new meaning to life for these marginalised communities by making society more inclusive.

Disclaimer: All creatives are hypothetical classroom projects.

All rights reserved — 2022–2024

Creative Mentor: **Utkarsha Malkar- Author | Design Thinker | Creator** — Communication Specialist — Contemporary Design | Advertising | Publishing | Television | Storyteller | Design Fiction | Emerging Technologies | Design Thinking | Innovation | Research | Design Activism | A desire to understand the world and to improve it always remains at the core. As I speculate and design, my liberty of self-expression is in direct correlation to my existence and knowledge.

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