NSF INCLUDES Planning Grant: Cultivating Research and Equity in Sign-related Technology

Gallaudet University, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

This NSF INCLUDES planning grant is funded by NSF Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (NSF INCLUDES), a comprehensive national initiative to enhance U.S. leadership in discoveries and innovations by focusing on diversity, inclusion and broadening participation in STEM at scale. The goal of this planning grant is to initiate a collaborative network focused on increasing the inclusion of deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HH) individuals in the development of sign-related technologies. Many research projects use cutting-edge technologies applied to sign language translation, sign language teaching, or sign recognition. These projects include signing avatars, virtual/augmented reality sign language learning, gesture recognition for sign language, machine learning for sign recognition, wearable sensors for sign translation, and more. While the potential for these technologies is great, more inclusion and resource-sharing is needed. This project addresses these goals through building and supporting a network of researchers and industry professionals who have interest in sign-related technologies and share a vision for how the network can help build fruitful collaborations. This work increases the inclusion of D/HH individuals in the field and fosters the development of young D/HH students who wish to work in this area. In this project, a network called Cultivating Research and Equity in Sign-Related Technologies (CREST) is established, a workshop is hosted to launch the network, and resources are provided for collaboration and communication among network members. The workshop will develop the shared vision among stakeholders and initiate and strengthen partnerships. Activities of the network will have a two-way benefit: 1) D/HH researchers and students who are working on sign-related technologies are able to gain experience with new technologies and develop STEM skills they may not already possess; 2) Researchers with the technological capacity to develop cutting-edge sign-related technology benefit from expanding their networks to include those who are already experts in sign languages and the unique challenges they present: sign language users and D/HH researchers. The CREST network increases the chances that sign-related technologies will be developed with D/HH input at all stages, meaning these technologies will be more likely to benefit people who use sign languages as a primary form of communication. It allows for the growth of a community around a rapidly changing field which has the potential to reap great benefits for deaf individuals and communities of people who use sign language. Two activities, contribution of videos and of blogs and posts, will deepen the connection between the CREST network and the NSF INCLUDES National Network that exists already, and the CREST network will bring new people to the National Network. This work will benefit D/HH students, staff, and researchers who are part of the network, as well as the broader communities which may be affected by the technologies in development. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.