Empowering Communication: The quest for automatic solutions in sign language
Emmanuelle ABOAF
Devfest on Discord - December, 13th 2024
Fullstack developer at Shodo in Paris, France
EMMANUELLE
ABOUT ME
Around 466 million people worldwide are affected by disabling hearing loss.
– WHO
72 million deaf and hard-of-hearing people around the world use sign language.
There are over 300 different sign languages in the World.
Sign language
is not universal.
WHEN YOU CREATE A TOOL WITH ASL
It won't work for other countries
that use a different sign language.
YOU MUST KNOW
- Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community
- Deaf culture
- Learn local Sign Language with Deaf people
Gloves
I created the term ‘Disability Dongle’ in 2019 to draw attention to the phenomenon of design and engineering students and practitioners prototyping ‘innovative’ solutions for disabled people. The definition satirises an outcome in which designs or technologies ‘for’ disabled people attract mainstream attention and praise despite disabled people's legitimate concerns about them.
– Liz Jackson
Question of responsability
Automatic sign language as like automatic captions
are not 100% reliable.
AVATAR 3D, the SOlution ?
In English, sites like Signer.ai ou Signapse.ai offer automatic American Sign Language (ASL) translations on videos, texts, and audios.
© KEIA
© KEIA
Transcript in English :
"Fanstasm
He is developing an algorithm that automatically translates sign language [into French].
Reality
It's not sign language. This is sign language."
IVèS's Signbot
SIgn SPEAK
Sign Speak is not merely building technology for Deaf people; it’s building it with them.
Built with the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community
Nothing about us without us
LinkedIn : Emmanuelle Aboaf
THANK YOU!
RESOURCES (1/2
- How does ASL automatic translation work? - HandTalk
- Sign Language Processing
- Sign Language
- ASL on Websites: how to include it and its importance?
- GenASL: Generative AI-powered American Sign Language avatars
- You are a student or in the tech industry or quite simply an entrepreneur. If you're starting a project within accessibility or looking for advices, this publication is for you! (And for everyone else, in fact)
- Inside Sign Speak’s Mission To Make Accessibility Out Of American Sign Language And Artificial Intelligence
- “Nothing About Us Without Us” -- Mantra for a Movement
- “Nothing about us without us” is not just a slogan, it is the deepest desire of every person with a disability - Sheri Byrne-Haber
- For Deaf people, train travel can be a gamble. But an AI-powered Auslan avatar can help
- MotionSign by IVès (FR)
- Comment développer la langue des signes française automatique ? (FR)
RESOURCES (2/2)
- University Students Designed Gloves That Translate Sign Language Into Speech
- This new high-tech glove translates sign language into speech in real time
- Glovatrix, an Indian Startup, Building AI Gloves to Help Speech Impaired Speak again
- Engineering student’s AI model turns American Sign Language into English in real-time
Empowering Communication: The quest for automatic solutions in sign language
By Emmanuelle ABOAF
Empowering Communication: The quest for automatic solutions in sign language
In an increasingly connected world, ensuring accessibility for all is essential. This talk explores the potential for automatic tools that bridge the communication gap for Deaf and hard-of-hearing people through the use of sign language. We will delve into the current challenges and advancements in developing AI-powered systems capable of understanding, translating, and generating sign language in real time. By examining the intersection of machine learning, computer vision, and linguistics, we aim to address the pivotal question: Can technology truly enhance accessibility without compromising the richness and complexity of sign languages? Join us as we explore the future of communication and inclusion through innovative solutions designed to empower those relying on sign language. This talk explores the progress and limitations of automatic sign language. I see more and more tools being created without involving the community. I'd like to raise awareness among people who create inclusive tools of the importance of involving the people concerned. Before creating a tool, ask yourself whether it's useful or not and contact the people concerned to see whether it's worthwhile. As deaf myself and French, I see so many tools that focus on sign language that are useless apart from the wow factor.
