The Snapchat application has just launched a new lens to educate its users about learning American Sign Language.
After having already participated in raising awareness around deafness on the occasion of the International Day of the Deaf, Snapchat renews its desire to make sign language known to its users and decides to launch a new lens for the occasion called “ASL Alphabet”.
Through the development of this augmented reality filter, Snapchat wanted to once again broaden the experience of learning American Sign Language (ASL) in order to always better raise awareness of this condition.
Raising awareness of different means of expression
This new lens allows you to learn the ASL alphabet, but also to learn how to form words. Users will also be able to memorize them via games to reuse them later. This AR filter again uses artificial intelligence technology from SignAll, a Hungarian start-up. It allows hand tracking to recognize sign language and helps learning here.
Snapchat has once again relied solely on its deaf and hard of hearing employees for the creation of this lens, a group that calls itself the “Deafengers”. It is a portmanteau combining the terms “deaf” (“deaf” in English) and “Avengers” in reference to the Marvel franchise. The firm believes that there is a linguistic inequality, and that it is possible to use augmented reality can help reduce it and change the way we all communicate together.
And for other countries?
It would have been nice to offer this experience in different languages, but it may have to do with the software used which may not yet be ready to recognize sign languages from other countries.
You should know that there are differences between the sign languages of each country. As with oral languages, each language is inseparable from its own culture and is even subject to regional accents, dialects and community codes that are specific to them. But it is still a pleasant experience and a very good idea to make users aware of more inclusiveness.
Being able to take part easily in a conversation when you are hard of hearing or mute, find your way when you are visually impaired: so many situations in which technology can now help to facilitate the daily lives of…
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