Fund: Voice
Fund Type: Empowerment Accelerator
Project Name: Twaweza
Sub Activity Highlight: Deaf Digital Library
Country: Kenya
Deaf Outreach Program DEAFOP is a disability organization, whose mission is to mainstream Deaf and disability rights in development. One way we seek to achieve this is through exploring development and adoption of inclusive technology and innovation for Deaf persons to increase access to Sexual and reproductive health and right information and education/life skill information in sign language.
Under Twaweza Project funded by Voice, we have developed a learning software accessible offline for Kenyan Deaf schools through their computer labs and online through mobile app. For online accessibility the app is available on Play store under search name DEAFOP or Digital Library. With this innovation, the goal of providing accessible Digital Library that can be have learning content for all categories of education levels such as primary level, high school level and technical and vocational levels.
In addition to the Digital Library application coding and development, Voice fund supports the development of signed skill content to be input in the technical and vocational category in support of livelihood training for Deaf Youth.
The rationale informing this innovation is recognition of the digital divide and inequality in access of information and learning content for deaf learners and youth despite Kenya being a regional ICT hub with great connectivity and ICT infrastructure and having progressive but unimplemented legal framework protecting access of information and quality education for all including PWD .
The innovation leverages on the opportunity that:-
- Deaf youth, out of school have access to digital device and connectivity
- Deaf Youth out of school are in dire need for livelihood training as there are limited opportunity for transition in technical and vocational training
- Deaf learners in school have access to basic computer lab for offline access
- Due to the sparse population of Deaf population, the innovation provides opportunity for wide reach despite geographical location
- Provide sustainable solution for continuous future content input for all education levels
Its adoption and continuous improvement guarantees:-
- Improved access to livelihood skills training as an online skills training platform for Deaf youths
- Improved access to quality education through providing a platform of signed Digital library for Deaf school
- Improved Learning Outcomes for Deaf learners due to access of learning content in sign language
- Increased accessible digital footprint for the Deaf Human rights issue
- Its integration into the SRHR-Sign language content on offline platforms will increase access of SRHR information for Deaf girls.