“Assistive technology – Motionsavvy Uni for students with hearing impairments”;
Introduction
As educators, we are faced with many challenges in our day-to-day experiences in and outside of the classroom. Our jobs require us to teach and inspire all children, despite their various needs. Deaf and hard-of-hearing students are one of the many groups of students with diverse needs that may potentially be in our future classrooms. In fact, over 75% of deaf or hard-of-hearing students in the United States are in a mainstream classroom, where they spend at least 50% of their day. Unfortunately, being fluent in American Sign Language is not a requirement to teach students with a hearing impairment. This presents numerous issues for both the student and the teacher, where a communication barrier is the biggest. Luckily, a new assistive technology called Motionsavvy Uni can close the gap between teachers and students with hearing impairments.
As defined in this course and in IDEA, assistive technology is "any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of a child with a disability.” For our project we chose to focus on a newly developed piece of assistive technology that aims to aid and improve the communication between those who are hard of hearing that speak sign language and those who can hear. Motionsavvy Uni can translate sign language into spoken English and convert spoken English into text. Uni helps bridge the gap between those that speak sign language and those who do not. It creates the opportunity for those with hearing impairments and in the deaf community to have an independent voice when communicating with those that are hearing. The Uni equipment contains a specialized camera that records intricate hand movements used in sign language and translates the signs into spoken word through the device. It also uses voice recognition software to have spoken word written into text for the individual to read.
There are a few reasons we chose this form of assistive technology to focus on for our research. Both of us had taken American Sign Language (ASL) classes in college and both greatly enjoyed learning about the deaf community and the rich language of ASL. This form of technology was developed by a team that includes both deaf and hearing co-workers that work through the Rochester Institute for Technology to create solutions that lead to more independence in communication for the deaf community. We both connected to the company’s mission to celebrate and encourage the use of sign language, while also finding easier ways for those with hearing impairments to have conversations with those who do not understand sign. The Uni itself is reminiscent of some of the forms of augmentative and alternative communication devices that we learned in class that can provide a voice for students who are nonverbal through selecting pictures, icons, or clicking switches to enact certain words. Motionsavvy has created a form of assistive technology that expands on the deaf and hearing impaired communities need to overcome the communication barriers that may be present with those who are hearing.
By researching Motionsavvy Uni, there are various goals and objectives for students who may benefit from this assistive technology. First, our overarching goal is to provide a simple and unobtrusive way for students that are deaf or hard of hearing to communicate with other, especially in a school setting. An objective in relation to this goal is that students will use either a Motionsavvy Uni tablet or application to communicate with teachers and other peers throughout the school day.
Body
Before the invention of the high tech device of Motionsavvy Uni, it’s important to recognize the other forms of assistive technology that have existed or are currently being used for students with a range of hearing impairments that have impacted the need for the development of Uni. Some devices are more geared toward students who are hard of hearing that amplify the teacher’s voice for them to hear more clearly. Personal FM systems are an example where the teacher wears a wireless microphone and their voice is transmitted to a small receiver worn by the student for those with hearing aids, cochlear implants, and those who do not. Other assistive tech products provide opportunities for both hard of hearing and deaf students. Translation service programs, such as Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) provide word-for-word instant translation of spoken words into text for the student to read, but do not provide an option for the student to reply back. Captioning services can be used on videos and music to provide readable text for the hard of hearing or deaf students. There are also face to face communication systems, such as Ubi-Duo and Interpretype, where the teacher and the student can type messages back and forth on devices with two keyboards. The Motionsavvy Uni takes into consideration the positive aspects of these other devices used in schools and adds elements, such as translating sign language into spoken word, to enhance the communication experience of hard of hearing or deaf students.
Motionsavvy Uni is a game-changing software that has the ability to drastically change the lives of people with hearing impairments, specifically ones who are hard-of-hearing or deaf. As previously stated, before the development of this new assistive technology, the only option for a individual with an hearing impairment to communicate with a speaking individual who did not understand sign language was an interpreter or writing out what they wanted to say. Motionsavvy Uni drastically improves this communication barrier simply and unobtrusively. Available in two options, tablet with pre-downloaded software known as UNI Pro and the software only, known as UNI Basic. Both options are reasonably priced, UNI Pro starts at $799 for the purchase of the tablet with a $20 monthly subscription fee to use the software. UNI Basic starts at $99 for the software plus a $20 monthly subscription fee. It is important to note that these prices are drastically different but UNI Basic will only work if the users current tablet runs on a Windows processing system and has a leap motion sensor. Without it, the software will not work properly because it cannot detect sings and body movements on the generic, pre installed camera included with most tablets. The Motionsavvy software acts as an interpreter between the speaker and the signer. This is done through two cameras, specially the leap motion controller, reading and projecting images of the signs a deaf person is gesturing into the camera and translating the movements into spoken words in the English language either through speech or text. Afterwards, the speaker can reply to the tablet and the software uses voice recognition to translate the sounds to text.
Motionsavvy has also developed numerous programs to go with this software, to make your tablet easy to use and personalizable. First, SignBuilder is a system that allows you to record, label, and edit signs that allows the individual to personalize their signing library just like we could add words or slang to our dictionary on our computers, phones, or tablets. Next, CrowdSign works with SignBuilder to allow you to upload, download, and share signs. This could be related to iCloud for Apple, where we can do the same thing with images, music, or documents. UNI Cloud is the web based management system that allows you to customize and edit your signs online without using your tablet. Lastly, Dictionary on the UNI tablet can allow the singer to create their own sign language dictionary with custom signs catered to their preferences. Along with using all the Motionsavvy features, individuals can access emails, explore the internet, play games, and even write a paper just like on an Apple or Windows tablet.
Motionsavvy Uni is practical and simple to use, allowing it to be easily integrated into your classroom. First and most importantly, this new assistive technology allows a student with a hearing impairment to have the opportunity to be an active participant in the classroom and gain a feeling of independence. As a result, the student can easily participate in activities and lessons that require them to communicate with their peers or the teacher. There are many scenarios in the classroom in which this technology could be implemented for communication for those who speak sign language. For whole group lessons with the class, the student who is using the Uni device could freely respond to discussion with sign language, while reading the text of the spoken word of their classmates. In small group work with the teacher, the student could reply to reading comprehension questions through translated sign to spoken word, answer and elaborate on math problems, and respond to vocabulary quiz questions. Through the Motionsavvy Uni, the student can also pre-record their own signs which could be helpful for translating specific academic vocabulary. This assistive technology could also be utilized during one-on-one work with the teacher and with other students when collaborating on assignments or socially engaging.
Conclusion
Motionsavvy Uni is a form of assistive technology that could greatly improve the communication between hard of hearing and deaf students who speak sign language and their hearing peers. This technology could truly revolutionize the way in which hard of hearing and deaf students can participate in classes, socialize, and respond to academic lessons with teachers and classmates that can hear. Without the creation of this new assistive technology, options for students with hearing impairments to communicate with their peers, especially in a classroom setting, are extremely limited and impractical. Motionsavvy Uni provides a promising future for these students because it gives them the opportunity to work to the best of their ability, developing confidence and independence in their school work, which could eventually transfer to daily living in the future.