Teaching Aid Applications for Hearing Impaired Students

1.0      Sign Language Learner :

          WML has developed multimedia based teaching –aid application for learning Sign Language in English and Nepali languages under a project sponsored by DIT, MCIT, Govt of India. In this multimedia application we have included sign videos of alphabet, numbers, words, short sentences, stories, etc. In the vocabulary learning module text, picture appears beside sign video along with description of the hand movement. Recently Bengali language has been added in the application.

2.0     Multimedia CD - Chhobite Galpo :

          WML has developed the multimedia CD named ‘Chhobite Galpo’ that includes 100 short stories in Bengali with illustration for the purpose of development of concepts and vocabulary of hearing impaired students. A Sign movie version of the stories has also been developed. The purpose of the application is to build various concepts and usage of vocabulary in context with aid of graphical illustration, as HI students are visual learners. The stories are very short, each having only 4 to 5 sentences. Against each sentence there is graphics slide with text.

3.0  Sign Language Dictionary and Text to Sign Conversion Software (named  Mounisara ):

 WML has developed application software that converts a simple sentence from text to Sign video. The application contains a database of 2100 signs. The application can also be used as a dictionary of signs. The development was done in collaboration with VECC, Kolkata. The software supports Bengali language.The software will help in education of hearing impaired persons and can be used by the teachers, students, parents, social workers etc. It provides an intermediary for communication between the hearing-impaired persons and the normal people. Persons desirous of learning the sign language can do so using the translator. It will act as a teaching aid and also help in the development of language skills of deaf children. It could help in the standardization of the sign language

Simple sentences have been taken into consideration in the software for text to sign conversion along with the tense of the verb i.e. present tense, future tense, past tense in the input sentence. The software deals with only assertive and interrogative sentences. The interrogative sentences are detected by the wh-word presented in the sentence. The software provides consistent concatenated video with nearly seamless continuity, allowing the viewer to easily comprehend what was spoken and the associated signs. In many cases, Bengali word sequences in a sentence differ in the Sign sequence of the corresponding words for the expression. These sequence change / alteration of word-Signs in an expression has been implemented after studying the convention. The set of such patters / rules have been compiled in consultation with experts.

The Software can also be used as a reference dictionary of Signs. Presently the dictionary database includes 2100 distinct Sign Video clips. Considering synonyms the dictionary has around 4750 words with text description of the hand movements and also the English translation of the Bengali word. English words in the same window will help in bi-lingual skill development.

4.0   Project - IT for Hearing Impaired Students in West Bengal :

     WML has executed a project for 47 Special Schools for Hearing Impaired Students  in West Bengal, sponsored by DIT, West Bengal. Under this project we provided Computer, DTP software, and multimedia teaching aids. We have also provided training to two teachers from each school for five days at our office. The infrastructure has been created in the schools so that the students get opportunity to learn Windows, MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Photoshop, PageMaker, CorelDraw etc. Multimedia Teaching aids provided are : Chhobite Galpo and Bagher Chakri, animation CD developed by WML (under project from MLAsia ), based a book of rhymes for inclusive education. Presently WML is developing Sign language multimedia content based on classroom text.

5.0   Step by Step – Multimedia CD for language skill development

     Step by Step is a multimedia teaching aid developed by Webel Mediatronics Limited under project sponsored by MSJE, Govt of India. The package aims to help in development of cognitive and language skills of the students who lack in language development. The CD contains sections like picture matching, receptive vocabulary, sentence module (usage of words in progressively complex sentences), comprehension skill test, social stories etc. The software includes English, Hindi and Bengali languages. The content for the application has been provided by  Manovikas Kendra Kolkata and the application was tested there with Autistic Children. The project was originally planned for the benefit of Autistic children. Teachers have expressed that the same can be useful to hearing impaired students also for language development.

6.0 Bagher Chakri – Animation CD and Sign Movie Version of Book of Rhymes

 WML has developed the multimedia animation CD of the book of rhymes named “Bagher Chakri“ under project sponsored by Media Lab Asia, based on a book of rhymes for inclusive education. Special teachers appreciated the multimedia software and suggested that translation of the rhymes in sign movie will be beneficial for hearing impaired students. We have recently developed the sign movie version of the rhymes along with text.

Home