An app to bridge the gulf of silence

26.04.2019
It offers a form of sign language that seeks to bring the rest of the world closer to the hearing-impaired

The hearing-impaired often stare down at a gulf of silence that separates them and the rest of the world. Sometimes, this silence can show up during important everyday social transactions, involving educators, interpreters and even the families of the hearing-impaired. When this happens, it can be extremely disturbing.

Infrastructure major Larsen & Toubro has launched a mobile app — DEF-ISL — that makes learning sign language easy not only for people with hearing disabilities, but also for the hearing-capable, and thereby bridges that gulf.

The app was recently launched at L&T’s campus in Manapakkam as part of a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, in association with the Deaf Enabled Foundation (DEF), a pan-India voluntary organisation working for the empowerment of the hearing-impaired.

Ramya Miryala, Chief Operating Officer of DEF, says the app is a step towards an inclusive society.

“People with hearing impairment lose out on opportunities in education, employment and various other fields because of the communication gap. People often assume that sign language is difficult to learn, so they tend to ignore people with hearing disabilities, thereby denying them an opportunity to express themselves. This app makes learning sign language easy for not just the hearing-impaired community but their families, educators and interpreters,” she says.

The mobile app, which combines visuals, actions and words, is available for download on both iOs and Android platforms. The app has more than 10,000 downloads so far, Ramya adds and hopes that more people will make an effort to learn sign language.

Rajasekara Pandy, senior manager of L&T’s CSR wing, says the company has been supporting DEF’s efforts to improve the lives of the hearing-impaired, for the past seven years.

“The app is a work in progress. For now, it is packed with more than 5,000 easy-to-understand signs denoting the alphabet, numbers, the days of the week, animals and colours. The app has in-built videos, gestures and illustrations for easy learning and can be used both by adults and children. Our app team is working on building on the vocabulary packed into the app,” he adds.

This year, L&T is planning to approach school across Chennai in an effort to popularise the app.

“We want to teach the younger generation to learn to communicate with the hearing-impaired and also treat people with disabilities with more compassion,” he adds.