Deaf TikToker Uses App To Raise Awareness

This viral TikTok from a Deaf creator is moving hearing people to learn American Sign Language.

LOS ANGELES, California -- Deaf activist and TikToker, Chrissy Marshall's blog "The Essential Sign" shares experience on social media, she is raising awareness about the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community and teaching hearing people sign language, one viral video at a time.

If you don't live with a disability, you may not appreciate how crucial and meaningful community and accessibility are - but one viral TikTok is demonstrating it perfectly.

Chrissy Marshall, a 19-year-old content creator in Los Angeles, was born hard of hearing and became profoundly Deaf in high school. Now, she makes content on YouTube and TikTok about her disability and American Sign Language.

One of those videos captures a "special" day she had recently. In the TikTok video, Marshall, looking happy and excited, recounts her day of encountering three people who signed to her in American Sign Language.

"The sun was shining, people were signing, and everything felt so fluid," Marshall told BuzzFeed News in an interview. "I thought I was being pranked or something, like cameras were going to pop out and ask about my day."

"The area has a big Deaf community," she added, "and I’m glad and inspired to see the impact it’s had on the greater community as a whole."

The video is making other people happy too, and it's encouraging them to learn American Sign Language.

"Oh my god. Today has been crazy," she says and signs in the video. "Today I went to three places and all three people signed."

She describes stopping at the bank, where a teller signed with her, then at Starbucks, where a Deaf barista signed, and then she grabbed a pretzel, where the worker also signed.

"Everyone signed! It was like a perfect world. It's like a utopia."

The TikTok was reuploaded to Twitter, where it went viral.

Marshall said her online platform has given her the opportunity to spread awareness about disability rights, American Sign Language, and deafness.

Her other videos cover what it's like to be Deaf. She also posts fun ones like American Sign Language versions of songs.

"I’m so glad it’s just more people I get the opportunity to educate and inspire to be part of the community," said Marshall. "I am a huge advocate for people learning American Sign Language, and I’m happy and grateful so many people were inspired to do so."

Source: BuzzFeedNews
Video Credit: NowThisNews

She hope after this video you have a new perspective on how you interact with Deaf people. Like, share, subscribe​ The Essential Sign Channel on YouTube.

Follow @TheEssentialSign:
Facebook: https://facebook.com/theessentialsign
Instagram: https://instagram.com/chrissym23
Twitter: https://twitter.com/life_laughter_
YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/theessentialsign
BlogTag: #ChrissyMarshall

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Can Siri Understand The Deaf Voice

Speech therapy fails - Deaf activist, blogger Cheyenna Clearbrook explain in the result, can 'Siri' app understand the Deaf voice?

A Deaf activist and blogger, Cheyenna Clearbrook share experience as a Siri user and here is the result. Siri app known as a VoiceOver and speak screen on iPhone will be understand the hearing implants and speech impairment voice?

Cheyenna decided to act out some of the VoiceOver app that hearing people have using Siri app on iPhone. Watch part one and two within closed captioning.

To activate this feature, press the "CC" button.

Cheyenna's doing part two of "Can Siri Understand The Deaf Voice?"

To activate this feature, press the "CC" button.

Voilà! If you wanna watch part one, you can find here on channel.

Follow @CheyennaClearbrook:
Facebook - https://facebook.com/cheyennaclearbrook
Instagram - https://instagram.com/cheyennaclearbrook
Twitter - https://twitter.com/cheyclearbrook
YouTube - https://youtube.com/channel/cheyennaclearbrook

SOURCE - CheyennaClearbrook

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Deaf Chat: Best Video Calling App For Deaf

Deaf Chat App - Privacy is possible. Deaf Chat makes it easy.

Using Deaf Chat, you can communicate instantly while avoiding SMS fees, create groups so that you can chat in real time with all your friends at once, and share media or other files all with complete privacy. Deaf Chat's servers never have access to any of your communication and never store any of your data.

- Say Anything. Deaf chat uses an advanced end-to-end encryption protocol to keep your conversations private. Every message, every call, every time.

- Open Source. Deaf Chat is Free and Open Source, enabling anyone to verify its security by auditing the code. Deaf Chat is the only private messenger that uses open source peer-reviewed cryptographic protocols to keep your messages and calls safe.

- Be Yourself - Deaf Chat uses your existing phone number and address book. There are no separate logins, usernames, passwords, or PINs to manage or lose.

- Group Chat. Deaf Chat allows you to create encrypted groups so you can have private conversations with all your friends at once. Not only are the messages encrypted, but the Deaf Chat server never has access to any group metadata such as the membership list, group title, or group icon.

- Fast. The Deaf Chat protocol is designed to operate in the most constrained environment possible. Using Deaf Chat, messages are instantly delivered to friends.

- Speak Freely - Make crystal-clear phone calls to people who live across town, or across the ocean, with no long-distance charges. Deaf Chat is not currently compatible with tablets, but support for larger screens is on our roadmap and will be included in a future release.

Download App Now:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wDeafChat_8743374

For support, questions, or more information, please visit: Deaf Chat App.

Follow @DeafChat: https://youtube.com/channel/deafchat

NOTE: Warning, Deaf Chat app may be a scam... download at your own risk, Deaf Chat app from India and there's none of details/informations on social media such as facebook, instagram, twitter or website, DeafChat About.

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ChatterBaby - A New App For Deaf Parents

Dr. mom creates app for Deaf parents that interprets baby's cries.

Parents learn the cries of their babies, differentiating between hunger, pain and just plain fussiness. Now, thanks to a new app, hearing-impaired and Deaf parents can tell when their infant is wailing and what is most likely the problem.

To activate this feature, press the "CC" button.

The ChatterBaby app, developed by Dr. Ariana Anderson, uses sound frequencies and patterns of silence to interpret what a baby is crying about.

InsideEdition.com's Keleigh Nealon (Twitter.com@KeleighNealon) has more.

SOURCE - Inside Edition

Follow @ChatterBaby:
Facebook: https://facebook.com/chatterbaby
Instagram: https://instagram.com/chatterbabyapp
Twitter: https://twitter.com/chatterbabyucla
Website: https://chatterbaby.org

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Ava - New App For Deaf & Hard of Hearing

Introducing Ava: 24/7 accessible conversations with Deaf & Hard of Hearing people.

Ava is the fastest and easiest way to understand and participate in conversations for Deaf & Hard of Hearing people.

- Didn’t get what the guy in front of you said? Ava uses your microphone to hear and shows you word by word what is said. Instant captions, in your pocket, always available.

- Tell something super quickly: show in big letters what you meant, or ask Ava to voice it for you. The easiest 2-way communication with hearing people who don’t know sign language.

- Don’t miss out in group conversations anymore. Share your unique "&AvaID" link with others so they can join your conversation on their Ava app. At lunch, in meetings or hanging out with friends, Ava shows you who says what, in real time, and in colors.

- Connect quickly one or multiple friends, next to you or anywhere in the world. It takes one tap to connect you all.

- Join the other Ava Pioneers exploring every day new ways to use Ava to make the world more accessible. Ava 1.0 is just the first step towards a 24/7 accessible world. Visit https://ava.me/life for more details on how other Pioneers use Ava.

- Experience the first artificial intelligence designed to empower Deaf & Hard of Hearing people. Anyone can tap on words that Ava got wrong to teach her. Ava gets smarter at understanding you & your peers’ voice.

- Benefit from the different optimizations we’ve done: Ava will not use more battery than streaming audio when listening to transcribe, or using other reading app when you follow the conversation.

Find all of the latest Ava news on our Twitter account - https://twitter.com/avascribe or Facebook page - https://facebook.com/avadotme

SOURCE - Ava

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How Gallaudet is Working to Reach Deaf Readers

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

Top 10 Donald Trump Sayings In ASL

Nyle DiMarco: Top 10 Donald Trump Sayings in American Sign Language.

Want to learn American Sign Language? Nyle DiMarco is teaching Donald Trump's Top 10 most used words in ASL.

Let Nyle know your favorite sign from this video, and which celebrity should Nyle make a Top 10 ASL. Give it a thumbs up if you loved it!

If you're new here, welcome! Here's a little more about Nyle DiMarco:

Nyle DiMarco is an actor, model and activist. He is a native New Yorker and was born into a large multigenerational Deaf family. He is an alumni of Gallaudet University, the only liberal arts University in the world for the Deaf, with a B.A. in mathematics.

Nyle is the first Deaf person to win America's Next Top Model Cycle 22 and Dancing With The Stars Season 22. As an actor, Nyle's castings have included: the lead in the independent film In the Can, an ASL Films production, as Garret on ABC Family's Switched at Birth, and Difficult People Hulu Series. As a founder of Nyle DiMarco Foundation and an honorary spokesman for Language Equality and Acquisition for Deaf Kids (LEAD-K), Nyle is passionate about language and literacy and advocacy within the Deaf Community.

Nyle is a signer and creative collaborator on The ASL App (by Ink & Salt), an App created by native Deaf signers to teach conversational American Sign Language (ASL). Nyle DiMarco is Deaf and uses American Sign Language. American Sign Language requires the use of facial expressions and body movements, his Deafness amplifies his natural talent. His Deafness is an asset and not a limitation, he is amicable and able to communicate easily.

Follow @NyleDiMarco:
Subscribe - https://youtube.com/nyle222
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nyledimarco
Twitter - https://twitter.com/nyledimarco
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nyledimarco
Model Mayhem - http://modelmayhem.com/nyledimarco
Linkedin - https://linkedin.com/in/nyledimarco
Tumblr - http://nyledimarco.tumblr.com
Website - http://nyledimarco.com

Related: @NyleDiMarco
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New App Features For Deaf Uber Drivers

Uber just made it easy to be a Deaf drivers.

MUMBAI, India -- When Salman, an Uber driver in Mumbai, could not take calls from passengers, customers would cancel his ride. He would also have to text every rider to let them know that he’s Deaf, which caused delays when picking up his riders.

Uber just made life easier for him and several drivers across the world who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.

An update to the taxi-hailing app, which was launched in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., has now gone live in India.

While there has been no official announcement on this yet, Uber has confirmed this development in India.

So, how does the app work?

Once a driver chooses to turn on the special features by flipping a switch inside the app, a light will flash when a new trip is requested in addition to the existing audio cue.

The passengers won't be able to call the driver as that option will be blocked. Riders who want to provide special pickup instructions, can only to do so via text.

The app also adds an extra screen for passengers to enter their destination alongside a note that lets them know their driver is Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing.

“We hope these features help extend the earning opportunity that Uber presents to the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community,” Ben Metcalfe, head of product innovation at Uber, wrote in his blog.

Miraj Vora, who took a ride with Salman, tweeted that he happy with his experience.

"I had a great ride with Salman. We spoke about his new life as a driver in Mumbai and it was a peaceful ride overall," he told HuffPost India.

Though the learning process is the same for all drivers, the trainers usually spend more time with them. "We are also planning to get professional aid for training," Uber spokesperson said.

“If I can do it, so can you.” Larry is Deaf and on a mission to follow his dreams. Find out how partnering with Uber made it possible for him to move to LA and support his family while starting a new career.

As reported by WHO, there are about 250-300 million Deaf people in the world, with 66 percent of them live in the underdeveloped nations, and India has the largest share.

A spokesperson from Uber said that not too many Deaf drivers have signed up for it yet.

But, this is just the beginning of the initiative and a much appreciated one.

SOURCE - HUFFINGTONPOST

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New Classroom Technology Helps Deaf Students

New classroom technology helps Deaf and Hard of Hearing RIT students.

ROCHESTER, NY -- New technology is being used at Rochester Institute of Technology to help students learn and communicate in and out of the classroom.

The new technologies include voice recognition apps, video remote-interpreting and captioning services, just to name a few. This is technology that students say is changing the way they're communicating both in an out of class.

To activate this feature, press the "CC" button.

The ability to fully hear is something some of these RIT students do not have, but the ability to communicate is something they do, and it just got a whole lot easier.

“The world is becoming more accessible to Deaf people,” says Rico Petersen, Assistant Dean and Director of the Department of Access Services. “Typically they might not know sign language, or they might prefer English instead of sign language, so we have a provider that is trained in specialized software. They go into class and type live what is being said.”

It starts with captioning services for entire classrooms - lectures scrolling on a screen in front of the students in real time. The technology can even be brought out of the classrooms and into the lives of the students at home, or with friends thanks to the Ava app, making group face-to-face conversations that much easier. People looking to download the AVA app can email Hello@ava.me and ask how to sign up or get more info.

Even for those one-on-one studying sessions, new video remote interpreting, or VRIS used.

“It's much easier and more clear using your expression and so forth rather than writing back and forth,” says Bryan ward, RIT gradute.

With 130 interpreters on staff and more than 4,000 hours of interpreting done a week at RIT, this new technology is needed. “It really is having an impact on the Deaf world because it makes access easier to come by,” says Peterson.

The entire Deaf community has access to this new technology. Professors say there are still some situations where interpreters work best, but the new technology is simply a way to make every-day actions easier.

SOURCE - WHEC-TV

Deaf Community Discover The App 'Glide'

App for the masses finds niche among the Deaf.

Glide is a video messaging startup has joined the ranks of Microsoft and Google.

We've all heard the hit song "Let it Go" from the Disney movie "Frozen" enough times to, well, let it go. So when film director Jules Dameron decided to make her own music video of the now ubiquitous song, the bar was set high for coming up with a unique rendition.

So how was Dameron's music video different? It was sung in American Sign Language, and used an entirely Deaf cast and crew.

And for Dameron, who herself is Deaf, communicating with that many people on set was made simpler thanks to a video messaging app called Glide.

"I instantly fell in love with it," the Hollywood-based director told From The Grapevine. "For once, I felt like I could function, and fully express myself through communications with everyone that I used sign language with. I just adored the fact I didn't have to rely on English text anymore.

American Sign Language is a completely different language with its own set of grammar, rules and structure, and for me to discover a social medium to express just that, as opposed to English, meant the world to me."... Read The Full Story.

Follow @Glide:
Download Glide: https://goo.gl/niox9g
Facebook: https://facebook.com/glideme
TwitterApp: https://twitter.com/glideapp
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahglide
Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahglide
Website: https://glide.me/

Related: Glide - Video Messaging In The Deaf Community

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Glide - Video Messaging In The Deaf Community

Next Generation Video Messaging in the Deaf Community.

#YourGlideStory - Over the past few months, you've let us know that Glide is the best way to communicate visually, and we're extremely grateful to all of our users in the Deaf/HoH community for their continued support.

Glide is a video messenger that allows you to send and receive video messages that can be seen live (as you're recording) or later (like a text message).

There are already loads of great video chat apps out there. We're not trying to replace them, we are giving people a more convenient way to keep in touch through video that doesn't need scheduling. Traditional video chat requires you and your friends to be online at the same time, which isn't always possible. The great thing about Glide is that you can send or watch a message whenever you want, regardless of whether your friends are online.

RELATED - Deaf Community Discover The App 'Glide'

Glide is a private messaging service. Only friends in the chat you send a message to will see it. You and your friends can also share messages from Glide to social networks and friends outside the app. Sending messages to Glide users anywhere in the world is 100% free.

Keep up with Glide:
Download Glide - https://goo.gl/niox9g
Facebook - https://facebook.com/glideme
TwitterApp - https://twitter.com/glideapp
Twitter - https://twitter.com/sarahglide
Instagram - https://instagram.com/sarahglide
Official site - http://glide.me/

Big thanks to all of the #DeafTalent!

Credits:
Producer & Director
Jules Dameron (Deaf)

Interviewees: (all Deaf)

Gabriel Silva
Jules Dameron
Dickie Hearts
Rosa Lee Timm
Odunayo Akintomide

Director of Photography
Jules Dameron (Deaf)

Head of Communications & Interpreter Coordinator
Martha Villar

Interviewer
Kailyn Aaron-Lozano (Deaf)

Sound Recorder & Mixer
Leonardo Nasca

Makeup Artist
Kaila Borne

Anthony King
First Assistant Camera

Key Grips
Arleta Meeker (Deaf)
Quinn Cooke (Deaf)

Editor
Sarah Snow
Jules Dameron

Craft & Catering Services
Matt Reinig (Deaf)

Thanks to CSUN Volunteer Interpreting Services.

Related: Deaf Community Discover The App 'Glide'

New York City’s First Deaf Taxi Drivers

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, he 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.

“If I can do it, so can you.” Larry is Deaf and on a mission to follow his dreams. Find out how partnering with Uber made it possible for him to move to LA and support his family while starting a new career.

The Taxi and Limousine Commission doesn’t register or track the disabilities of its licensees, a representative said... Read The Full Story.

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Convo Lights App Connected Philips Hue

Philips Innovation Experience - Convo Lights app empowers Deaf community through Philips Hue.

The Convo Lights app developed for Philips Hue, the connected lighting system for homes, uses light to notify Deaf and Hard of Hearing people of phone calls and other audible signals that they could normally miss.

The app from Convo, a Deaf-Owned and operated company providing video phone and translation services to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, allows users to create personalized ringtones of light to identify incoming callers, and adjust the brightness in a room to make sign language easier to see onscreen.

Convo demonstrates its innovative app (Convo Lights) that uses the connected lighting technology of Philips Hue to transform the lives of Deaf and Hard of Hearing people. Featuring Wayne Betts Jr. One of the founders for Convo Communications. Direct all creative aspects of the company’s communications: videos, the website, tradeshow materials, marketing collaterals, et cetera. Manage branding and the life cycle of all marketing campaigns. Serve as the face of the company in corporate and informational videos.

Want Convo Lights to illuminate your home? Order Convo Philips Hue Lights starter kit via Amazon or Apple today!

Find out more:
Convo Hue app press release - Deaf community empowered through connected home lighting from Philips Hue.

Philips Innovation Experience press release - Philips showcases its commitment to creating a better future at the innovation experience.

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Subtitles Life For Deaf People

Crowdsourcing could help Deaf People subtitle their everyday life.

Subtitles make TV far more accessible for DEAF people, but new research promises to give people with hearing difficulties the option to subtitle their everyday lives, too, using crowdsourced transcribers.

Researchers from the University of Rochester have developed an app which allows Deaf individuals to read subtitles that correspond to what's happening to them, in their day-to-day lives. The app, called Scribe, beams an audio track from the user's phone to a central server... Read The Full Story.