A Future of Innovation to Make VR a Tool to Rise Deaf Awareness
“Deafness is a sensory difference. It only becomes a “disability” when the educational system fails the child and family. ” —Christine Yoshinaga-Itano, Ph.
An VR educational product that helps children to understand the world of hearing impairment.
Why deaf awareness is important in educational system?
I had the inspiration a few weeks ago when I encountered a deaf Uber driver. Though I have been learning American Sign Language (ASL) for a while, I still didn't know how I should interact with him because he was the first deaf person I had met outside of class. There was no communication throughout the ride, but it got me thinking.
There are approximately 11.5 million Americans who have some hearing impairment, ranging from difficulty in hearing conversation to total hearing loss. That's about 3.5 percent of the population. But why have I not encountered one before? It is great to see big companies like Uber bring in the community of deaf or hard of hearing drivers and be inclusive. Fundamentally, it needs to be built into our educational system.
Why VR?
With the help of advancing technologies, recognizing the deaf community should be part of the early educational system. In fact, education is listed in VR's top 5 applications. Students with learning difficulties can learn about the world in a safe and controlled environment. For hearing-impaired students, VR environments can minimize background noise and maximize learning outcomes. Not only assisting hearing-impaired students, but this product should also help other students understand the world of hearing impairment.
Many hard-of-hearing people find it difficult to fit into communities due to others' misunderstandings. Others don't know how to interact with them. Therefore, communications are not efficient, and barriers are created. A VR simulation experience of hearing impairment will be a great opportunity to eliminate the barriers. With the help of VR, the student will experience firsthand what it is like to have difficulties hearing. Furthermore, this educational product should contain learning about the deaf community, including educational games, lectures, and immersive classrooms.
Product overview
Although parts of the product might be physical, it mainly exists in the Visual Reality world, as the nature of an educational VR product. Owned by schools or organizations, the information shared will be monitored as beneficial and appropriate.
For example, students can learn sign language while reading an article or watching a video. Teachers upload the material to the platform, and the platform then adds signs accordingly. This learning process can be done as a group or individually. Other functions, like simulations of deaf experiences, can help students build empathy; group exercises without vocal communication can train teamwork capacity.
The next iteration of this product will be expanding to other disabilities. Actions mean more than words. Many other communities are in need of recognition.
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