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TalkAble is a low-cost assistive technology for people suffering from hearing disability. Hearing impaired people generally use hand sign language to communicate. The main idea of TalkAble is to translate these sign language into speech. This affordable device gives them access to diverse media and opens doors for development of various products that shall empower them in the field of education, employment and quality of life. TalkAble has been developed to be equally applicable and available to users in both developed and developing countries.

Our Mission

Our mission is to open the world of communication to people with hearing loss by providing information, education, support and advocacy.

Overview

The right to speak should not be denied to anyone. It is injustice if we ignore those who are deprived of this invaluable gift. The only means of communication available to vocally disabled individuals is through sign language. Using sign language limits them to their own world of people. This limitation prevents them from interacting with the outer world to share their feelings, creative ideas and the potentials they possess; but very few people understand them. This increases the isolation of deaf and dumb people.

 

According to the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), approximately 66 percent of Deaf people live in developing countries, where authorities are rarely familiar with their needs and where very few Deaf children have access to employment and education. Only about 10 percent of the world's Deaf population receives any education at all, and only one percent receives this education in sign language - even though the majority of Deaf people worldwide use sign language in their daily lives. Reflecting this educational disadvantage, unemployment rates are extremely high in the Deaf community. Many nations even deny basic civil rights to their hearing impaired community.

 

Technology is one way to remove this hindrance and benefit these people. Assistive technologies assist humans in complex task such as recognize sign language and translate it into another form, such as synthesized speech or written form.

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