An Edutech App For The Deaf By The Deaf

In the buzzing world of tech start-ups, it is not unusual for three youngsters to come together to set up a new venture. But what if all the youngsters are deaf and two of them women?

It is usually the stuff of feel-good movies, not of actual life, until you hear the story of Digital Arts Academy for the Deaf (Daad).

Founded by Remya Raj, Sulu A. Naushad and Abey James, Daad is developing a web-based application for providing computer courses in the Indian Sign Language (ISL). It was short-listed in the 10 best start-ups at last month’s She Loves Tech, a global event promoting women in technology in Kochi.

“Our product is developed entirely by the deaf,” 25-year-old Naushad, co-founder and Finance Director of Daad, tells GN Focus through the start-up’s interpreter. Apart from the programmer and the interpreter, all of Daad’s employees are deaf.

“We clearly understand the practical needs of the deaf, which the developers from the hearing community may not realise,” she explains. “Our nuanced understanding will reflect in the product.”

Daad’s aim is to use the insight the founders have gained from their experience to offer courses that will instill confidence in the deaf and broaden their career choices. Its product offering will include online certificate courses on popular job-oriented computer topics. The videos and tutorials communicate in the ISL with subtitles in English. It will also provide basic ISL-awareness courses for both the deaf and the hearing community. There are also plans to integrate an artificial intelligence-based tool that automatically translates spoken languages to the ISL.