How Gallaudet University is working to reach young, Deaf readers.
WASHINGTON DC -- There was once a curious little girl with bright pink hair who loved to climb trees. One day, the little girl met an old man, who gave her fruit from a baobab tree. The fruit was delicious. So the girl set off to find the tree.
We’re not going to tell you what happens next, though. Wouldn’t want to ruin the ending.
This story of the pink-haired child and her fruit-focused adventure is told through an app created in a Gallaudet University lab that aims to give Deaf children something quite valuable -- easy, early access to American Sign Language.
“People like me, Deaf people, don’t ask to be fixed,” said Melissa Malzkuhn, founder and creative director the Motion Light Lab. “We just ask to be able to thrive.”
In this lab at Gallaudet, the private university for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Northeast Washington, research and innovation turn into resources for children and families. There is so much out there for hearing children, Malzkuhn said through interpreters. But much of what is available is sound-based.
“Which is great, there’s been beautiful work done, lots of wonderful applications, but they have absolutely zero benefit for Deaf children, who are visually oriented,” Malzkuhn said. “So that’s where this lab comes in.”
Launched in 2009, the lab in recent years has developed “The Baobab,” the story of the young girl, which has been translated into Russian, Japanese and other languages. It is also home to similar projects known as VL2 Storybook Apps. There is “The Blue Lobster,” which follows the same adventurous child. “The Museum of Errors” features wordplay. “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” and “The Little Airplane That Could” are new spins on classic tales.
“There really aren’t that many resources out there for Deaf children,” Malzkuhn said. “Especially when you’re talking about technology.”
The bilingual storybook apps offer vivid, colorful illustrations of dogs and airplanes and pink-haired heroines. As the stories progress, children can press highlighted words for a video of someone signing and fingerspelling. They can also watch a video of a story told through ASL.
These Deaf men helped NASA understand motion sickness in space
The lab is also using motion-capture technology to develop a more authentic signing experience. A video of an ASL nursery rhyme, done in collaboration with a lab in Paris, shows why that matters: the system can create clear, expressive language delivered through a three-dimensional character.
Motion capture is used to show movement -- usually dance, sports, that kind of stuff. Capturing gestures, though, is a bit more complicated. Typically, Malzkuhn said, the lab’s system has about 50 markers, which are basically raised knobs placed along joints in the body. The lab uses more than 100 markers to make sure the finer points of gesture are preserved.
“I feel like a ninja, because it’s black and I have all these markers on, so I dress completely in black,” she said of the motion capture outfit. “The work is tedious, for putting the markers on the face, I will say that. Because you don’t just pull on a mask.” ... Read More at The Washington Post.
Related Posts: #GallaudetUniversity
Featured Post
Do not make the work of Deaf YouVideo content look like your own. Give credit where it is due and requires that articles be based on reliable published sources.
Posts Archive
Most Viewed Last 7 Days
-
Why are annoying Jehovah's Witnesses door knockers so disrespectful to Deaf people, the community around the globe. This blog actuall...
-
The Biblical of Deafness "I Cannot Hear" by John Conrad Ruppel. The Bible verses about " Deafness ." John Ruppel of...
-
Play Free Creepy and Scary Game: Sinthai's The Halloween. Here comes a brand new scary game from the creator of the popular game The ...
-
This is a short glimpse into the lives of some of Thailand's Deaf working girls in Bangkok. Anyone had experience with Deaf women in...
-
Deaf News: Michael Hubbs is a con artist, claims his former pastor who turned atheist. Michael (Mike) Hubbs is a con artist in the Deaf ...
-
Full documentary in the role model of female bodybuilders, Shelley Beattie, ‘Deaf Woman BodyBuilder’ Deaf Mosaic exclusive interview cov...
-
Deaf cats tormented, cruel laboratory experiments and killed in University for the cochlear/hearing implant industry. Warning: Graphic Co...
Most Viewed Last 30 Days
-
Why are annoying Jehovah's Witnesses door knockers so disrespectful to Deaf people, the community around the globe. This blog actuall...
-
The Biblical of Deafness "I Cannot Hear" by John Conrad Ruppel. The Bible verses about " Deafness ." John Ruppel of...
-
Prank and Spank, Annette and Scott Kerr has announced that possibly leaving YouTube. The tubers entertaining Deaf couple Annette and Sco...
-
Parental guidance is advised, The content may contain R-rated material, nudity and profanity not suitable for anyone under the age of 18. ...
-
This is a short glimpse into the lives of some of Thailand's Deaf working girls in Bangkok. Anyone had experience with Deaf women in...
-
Deaf vlogger WonderGent aka James Timothy "Tim" Troutman arrested for possession of child pornography. DALE CITY, Virginia -- A ...
-
An Omaha girl died of bacterial meningitis over the weekend after deteriorating very quickly. OMAHA, Nebraska -- Katie Engle, 7, was a se...
Most Viewed Of All Time
-
An Omaha girl died of bacterial meningitis over the weekend after deteriorating very quickly. OMAHA, Nebraska -- Katie Engle, 7, was a se...
-
The U.S. Winter Olympics Deaf Speedskater, Michael W. Hubbs arrested and mugshot for probation violation in Utah. SALT LAKE CITY, Utah --...
-
Democratic Vice President Joe Biden mocking an ASL interpreter. DANVILLE, Virginia -- Vice President of the United States of America Joe B...
-
Parental guidance is advised, The content may contain R-rated material, nudity and profanity not suitable for anyone under the age of 18. ...
-
Jehovah's Witnesses' ASL version "Stop Masturbating" under fire for misleading signs with facial expressions and body lang...
-
Deaf Protest will be held at the White House in Washington the District of Columbia on Sept. 5th and 6th 2015. WASHINGTON -- President Ob...
-
SportsMX - Kitchen Talk: "The Ugly Truth" Interview With Ricky Taylor. The premiere of Kitchen Talk show from SportsMX . This ...
-
The Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump - Marlee Matlin and Gilbert Gottfried were incredibly hilarious performances. NEW YORK CITY -- M...
-
Deaf News: Michael W. Hubbs announced that he was hositpalized by stress symptoms. SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- Michael (Mike) Hubbs of short...
About This Site
Deaf YouVideo is public web site and a free assessment for everyone. A public web site is a web site that you can use to have a presence on the internet. It is a public facing site to attract customers and partners, and it usually includes increase traffic. Feel free to exploring the online community - Deaf, Hearing-Impairment, Hearing-Loss, Sign Language, News, Events, Societies, Resources, Links, Videos, Vloggers and much more. Be sure to Bookmarks this website.
Submitted content, to whom it may concern of posting on this site: YouPrivacy
Submitted content, to whom it may concern of posting on this site: YouPrivacy
Videos and Channels Powered By YouTube
RSS Feed Content
Deaf YouVideo provided by YouTube, Blogger, Google Feedburner, RSS Feed are a way for websites large and small to distribute their content as well beyond just visitors using browsers. The feed icon feeds permit subscription to regular updates, delivered automatically via a web portal, news reader vlogs or blogs and etc. Submitted content and/or disabled by request consume content and will be immediately removed from Deaf YouVideo. If you see the content appears "error, blank, and feed not support", click home or refresh your browsers.
Copyright © 2020 Deaf YouVideo All Rights Reserved.
Deaf YouVideo. Powered by Blogger.