Gallaudet University notes that as many as 600,000 people use American Sign Language (ASL) as their primary mode of communication. With that in mind, a group of Snapchat engineers dubbed Deafenger have just brought a unique new filter to their Android/iOS app. In addition to meeting the communication needs of deaf users, Snapchat hopes this feature will teach more users basic American Sign Language.
Snapchat says the ASL Alphabet filter provides the ability to spell your name with your fingers and practice the ASL alphabet tutorials for spelling your name with your fingers, practicing the ASL alphabet, and a game experience to test your sign language fluency.
In an interview with NBC News, Deafenger designer Austin Vaday said through a sign language interpreter that the application of this feature is very promising. The new feature, which Snapchat teamed up with artificial intelligence real-time sign language translation startup SignAll on Tuesday, is based on the hand-tracking technology that will power the finger-spelling filter in 2021.
“We’ve been aggressively expanding Snapchat’s ways of expressing ourselves and connecting with people more broadly through Lens,” the company said in a press release. “We believe this AR technology can help in a world where languages are not as equal. To improve everyone’s communication experience.”