TawkMate

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are approximately 466 million people worldwide who have hearing impairment or are deaf. In Singapore, the National Council of Social Service estimates about 5.9 million deaf people in the country calculating to 8.4% of the total population, and nearly 300 new cases of deafness are diagnosed each year. In Sri Lanka, there are around 4 million people with hearing impairments, although it is unclear how many of these individuals are deaf. In Pakistan, the Pakistan Association of the Deaf estimates that there are approximately 10 million deaf or hard-of-hearing people in the country, making up about 5% of the total population. It's worth noting that these statistics may not be caccurate, as deafness and hearing loss can be difficult to track and may not always be reported or diagnosed. 

 This large population speaks a language that is based on signs and gestures. Deaf persons face several challenges in accessing information, including:

1. Communication barriers: Deaf persons face difficulties communicating with hearing individuals who do not know sign language. Thus they have limited access to information that is communicated verbally or through audio recordings.
2. Limited access to sign language interpretation: Sign language interpretation services may not be readily available in all settings, such as workplaces, schools, etc. This limits persons' ability to access information in real-time.
3. Limited access to written information: Not all information is available in written form, and some written materials may not be accessible to the deaf if presented in complex language or formatting. Deaf persons have very limited ability to read and write. 
4. Inaccessible digital content: Deaf persons face difficulties accessing digital content, such as videos. This limits their ability to participate in online learning or access online information.
5. Lack of awareness: There is a lack of awareness and understanding among hearing individuals about the needs and challenges of deaf persons in accessing information. This leads to a lack of accommodations and support for them.

These challenges hinder the political participation of deaf persons and having no information on voter registration, and election processes leads to no participation in political activities, so they are unable to seek redress for social, political, economic, or environmental issues. Deaf persons are left out of the mainstream and have no contribution to the political discourse or to make informed decisions about their communities. There is a need to provide accommodations to ensure that deaf persons have equal access to information. It can bring significant positive changes to their lives by providing them with greater opportunities for education, employment, and social inclusion, while also empowering them to participate in the democratic process and effect positive change in their communities.

DeafTawk focuses on addressing the challenge of access to information to improve civic learning and action, as it allows individuals to be informed and engaged in the democratic process. Access to information can improve civic learning and action in understanding civic issues, increase political participation, and enhance advocacy skills leading to improved policy outcomes. 

We propose a combination of approaches as a solution in three countries Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Singapore for deaf persons to have access to information. 

AI bot for Online Platforms: Our AI bot is ready to make online platforms, such as social media and websites, accessible by providing real-time sign language interpretation from text to sign and voice to sign. The standalone application can also facilitate communication and collaboration among individuals seeking to improve their civic learning and action. With a particular focus on the solution, we aim to make government websites accessible, as they are vast reservoirs of public information.

Sign Language Interpreters: We have a pool of sign language interpreters who are able to translate for deaf individuals during public events, meetings, and other social occasions. Sign language interpreters can be provided in-person or remotely using video conferencing technology. Collaborative workshops and discussion forums held with Election Commission, Human rights bodies, and those organizations providing voter education and guidance to the citizens, powered by the sign language interpreters, the processes can be explained and information made available for the deaf citizens who are interested in actively engaging in the political discourse. 

 Improving access to information serves two primary groups of people: deaf individuals and individuals seeking to improve their civic learning and action. By providing accessible information, deaf individuals can access education, employment, and social opportunities, while also feeling more connected to their communities. Individuals seeking to improve their civic learning and action can use accessible information to educate themselves on civic issues, become more engaged in the political process, and advocate for positive change in their communities. This solution will impact their lives by promoting greater social inclusion, educational and employment opportunities, increased political participation, and improved policy outcomes. They will no more feeling left out of political inclusion and can use their creative abilities to lobby for better social and political services. 

All co-founders are persons with disabilities who have experienced firsthand the challenges of accessing information and education, particularly in an underdeveloped country. As a result, they have a deep empathy towards persons with disabilities, and this has driven them to use their energies and resources to improve the living conditions of their fellow beings. This ideology has also led them to select a team who share the same commitment to accessibility and inclusion, and who are dedicated to leveraging the latest technologies to create solutions that have a positive impact on the lives of individuals with disabilities.

Having individuals with disabilities on the team who have firsthand experience with the challenges and barriers to accessing information would be a valuable asset. Their expertise and insights inform the development of accessible technologies and approaches that are truly user-centered and meet the needs of those they are intended to serve. As the team holds regular meet-ups with the community representatives and deaf associations the inputs are reflected in the overall design and approach towards dealing with the challenge of information access.

 Additionally, a team with diverse skill sets in areas such as AI, software development, and user experience design is well-positioned to deliver an effective solution that leverages the latest advances in technology and meets the needs of individuals seeking to improve their civic learning and action.

With team presence in all three countries, we are well-positioned to deal with the implementation of solutions in these communities. 

We are looking forward to receiving technical and financial support to add enhanced features to our AI bot and to expand its capability to convert text to sign or voice to sign in languages such as French, Spanish, Hindi, Chinese, and more. Additionally, we seek support to connect with mentors who can provide marketing expertise to help us establish relationships with key tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook.

Our solution is innovative as it leverages the latest advances in AI and assistive technologies to provide real-time sign language interpretation, offer multilingual support, a user-centered approach and integration with online platforms, and expand the reach of accessible technologies to individuals with disabilities.

Our solution provides a significantly improved approach to the problem of accessibility and information barriers faced by individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. Our AI-powered platform offers real-time sign language interpretation from text to sign and voice to sign, which makes online platforms, government websites, and other digital content more accessible and inclusive.

Compared to traditional methods of sign language interpretation, which often involve costly and time-consuming processes of hiring interpreters or pre-recording videos, our solution is more efficient, scalable, and cost-effective. This means that more individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing can access and participate in online platforms, educational resources, and other digital content.

Furthermore, our solution has the potential to be catalytic by changing the market for accessibility technologies and enabling broader positive impacts from others in this space. By offering a more efficient and cost-effective solution for real-time sign language interpretation, we can inspire others to develop and invest in similar technologies. This can lead to a positive cycle of innovation, where increased investment and competition lead to even more accessible and inclusive technologies.

In addition, our solution has the potential to influence policies and regulations related to accessibility. By demonstrating the effectiveness of our technology in improving accessibility and inclusion, we can advocate for policies that require or incentivize the use of similar technologies in different industries and sectors.

Overall, our solution provides a new and significantly improved approach to the problem of accessibility and information barriers faced by individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. By catalyzing innovation, influencing policies, and enabling broader positive impacts, we hope to create a more inclusive and accessible society for all.

Our impact goal for the next year is to expand our reach and provide real-time sign language interpretation services to a larger number of deaf individuals globally. To achieve this, we plan to partner with more organizations and institutions that serve the deaf community, such as schools, universities, and government agencies, to offer our services to their students, employees, and constituents.

In the next five years, our goal is to become a leading provider of AI-powered sign language interpretation services globally, serving millions of individuals with hearing impairments in multiple languages. To achieve this, we plan to continue to enhance our technology by integrating more advanced AI algorithms, expanding our language capabilities, and improving our user interface to provide a seamless and user-friendly experience for our clients. Additionally, we plan to establish partnerships with major tech companies to enable the integration of our technology into their products, thereby expanding our market and impact. Finally, we aim to leverage the power of our platform to advocate for the rights and inclusion of the deaf community globally.

To measure our progress towards our impact goals, we are using specific, measurable indicators like the number of deaf individuals served, expansion of language capabilities, user satisfaction, partnerships established, and advocacy impact. Some specific measurable indicators for our AI technology include the number of individuals who have accessed the AI bot, the number of government websites that have implemented the solution, the number of institutions that have incorporated sign language interpretation and made their information materials accessible through AI, and the number of partnerships established with relevant stakeholders.

By regularly monitoring these indicators, we assess our progress toward our impact goals and make necessary adjustments to our strategy and operations to ensure we are delivering the most impact to the deaf community.

In broad terms, while measuring impact SDG 4, SDG 10, and SDG 17 are the potential indicators associated with the UN Sustainable Development Goals that align with our solution as they inform about quality education, reduced inequalities, and partnerships for the goals. 

Our theory of change is that by providing real-time sign language interpretation from text to sign and voice to sign through our AI bot, we can significantly improve access to information for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. This improved access to information will lead to increased civic learning and action, greater participation in society, and ultimately, increased empowerment for individuals with disabilities.

We believe that our solution will have a positive impact on the problem of limited access to information for people with disabilities by providing a more efficient and accessible means of communication. By breaking down communication barriers, our solution will improve the quality of life and social inclusion of people with disabilities.

We plan to continuously evaluate and improve our solution to ensure that it is effective in achieving our desired outcomes. We will collect feedback from our users, track engagement and usage metrics, and conduct impact evaluations to measure the effectiveness of our solution in improving access to information and empowering people with disabilities.

As the government and official websites are made inclusive through AI bot, the information will be available for deaf persons to use and consume. This will enhance their knowledge and understanding of the constitution, political systems and they will be able to identify a discourse to political participation. 

Python using NLP, Motion Stitching, and Sign Capture Module.

Incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusivity is a key priority in our work. Coming from the same background, we recognize that people with disabilities are marginalized and face additional barriers to accessing information, education, and employment. To address this, we have taken the following steps:

1. Our team includes individuals with disabilities, ensuring that their perspectives and experiences are reflected in our work.
2. We have conducted extensive user research to understand the needs and preferences of people with disabilities. This research has informed the design and development of our solution.
3. We are committed to making our solution accessible to as many people as possible, regardless of their disability status, language, or location. This includes ensuring that our solution is compatible with a wide range of devices and assistive technologies.
4. We actively seek out partnerships with organizations that are focused on promoting diversity, equity, and inclusivity, and work to integrate their perspectives into our work.
5. We continuously review and assess our practices to identify areas where we can improve our approach to diversity, equity, and inclusivity, and make changes as needed.

Overall, our goal is to create a solution that is truly inclusive and accessible to all, and we are committed to taking ongoing steps to achieve this goal.

DeafTawk's business model is focused on providing its services to B2B clients against a subscription fee. Additionally, DeafTawk charges a fee for every human sign language interpreter session booked through its platform. The company's revenue model is designed to generate recurring revenue streams from its B2B clients.

We have generated revenue streams where we sell our services to charge a fee. We also have investments, in the beginning, to help with the business. 

We will be working on a revenue model to achieve financial stability. We believe that the use of technology once developed to a fully functional mode will decrease our burn rate and will generate revenue from markets that we will be operating in.