No more boring lectures
- Snapchat’s ASL Lens Teaches You Using American Sign Language
- Viral social platforms can be an ideal way to teach accessibility and more.
- Some people fear that promotion is more important than education.
Suriwaut Surya/Getty Images:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-1328269964-068bc85e4b82419d849c785beab61baa.jpg)
Snapchat wants to help you learn American Sign Language (ASL).
The new ASL Alphabet Lens allows people to practice, write their names and play games with their ASL Alphabet. It is based on Signall’s technology that uses AR and a camera to read and translate sign language. But is Snapchat or TikTok or similar a good platform for education? Or is deaf perception just being used as a PR stunt? Something like Greenwashing, but for accessibility?
“It doesn’t seem like a serious attempt to teach anything other than tokenism you’re getting into. [Apple’s] Fitness+,” said deaf designer and author Graham Bower in an interview with Lifewire.
class moment
Not everyone is so cynical. Several respondents to Lifewire’s request noted that the reach of Snapchat and TikTok makes these platforms suitable for education. If you can reach even a small number of users, that’s a good thing.
“There are no downsides to teaching ASL to more people and normalizing ASL usage when it comes to Snapchat. Our main concern is to ensure that Snapchat is consulting with the deaf community about the program and teaching the correct sign language,” disability advocate Ceasarae Galvan told Lifewire in an email.
snapchat:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/ASL_Alphabet_Tryptich-81efb9f6b71046b6bf8c3a0abea88a7b.jpg)
and snapchat is Consultation with the deaf community. Snap’s team calls themselves “Deafengers,” which may be a crime against the English language, but are run exclusively by deaf and hard-of-hearing team members. The idea behind this lens isn’t necessarily to teach everyone how to sign, but to raise awareness and make it easier for signers to communicate online.
fundamental accessibility
I’m keeping a close eye on accessibility issues from a technical standpoint, and it seems to have entered public consciousness with prominence in recent years. Even the winners of this year’s Oscars for Best Picture are mostly deaf. However, the causes of this surge in accessibility must be well known.
“Accessibility is hot because of the pandemic,” Meryl Evans, a hearing impaired accessibility consultant, told Lifewire in an email. “Businesses had to do more digitally, and they blocked a large number of people (those with disabilities). According to a Forrester survey, 80% of businesses are working to achieve digital accessibility.”
Digital communications are good for accessibility because you always have a camera and computer as part of the setup. Technologies like Signall’s AR sign language translation can work one way, and auto-generated captions can work the other way. And since this is live communication rather than the shaky, auto-generated captions that are common in YouTube videos, translation errors can often be overcome with context or material text.
Motor/Getty Images:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-1158249965-5b497b969a1548cb9451c43693b871b7.jpg)
With this in mind, it makes great sense for platforms like Snapchat to educate us about things like sign language. It’s not a college-level education, but it’s a much more immediate and potentially perfect way to encourage signing.
“TikTok’s algorithm is amazing,” says Galvan. “This puts disabled creators in front of those who truly want to hear and support, making it easier to find the community. We oppose oppressive systems, barriers to entry and calls for change, and social media has given us a platform to do just that.”
We consider TikTok and Snapchat as social or entertainment platforms, but their reach, immediacy, and young demographic make them an ideal place to sow education seeds. Educational resources can be packaged in all sorts of ways, including viral videos or funny Snapchat lenses. And when TikTok’s famous algorithm comes into play, Galvan says, receptive viewers are suddenly drawn to the world of more diverse creators.
“Honestly, I don’t see any downsides to the gamification of ASL,” Daivat Dholakia, vice president of Essenvia, a healthcare regulatory expert, told Lifewire in an email. “The more people know, the more accessible the world is. In general, Gen-Z and above are more focused on accessibility. This is a generation with strong empathy and a driving force for change that can be the basis of accessibility ‘trends’.
If it’s a trend, that’s welcome. But it may be the new standard for online communication, and that’s good news overall.
More information
Snapchat and TikTok Might Be Great Education Platforms
No more boring lectures
Snapchat’s ASL lens teaches you to use American Sign Language
Viral social platforms might be ideal ways to teach accessibility and more
Some worry that it’s more about publicity than education
Suriuawaut Suriya / Getty Images
Snapchat wants to help you learn American Sign Language (ASL).
The new ASL Alphabet Lens lets people practice the ASL alphabet, learn to sign their name, and play games. It is based on technology from Signall, which uses AR and cameras to read and translate sign language. But is Snapchat—or TikTok, or similar—a good platform for education? Or is this just using deaf awareness as a PR stunt, kind of like greenwashing but for accessibility?
“It doesn’t seem like a serious attempt to teach anything beyond the kind of tokenism you get on [Apple’s] Fitness+,” deaf designer and author Graham Bower told Lifewire in an interview.
Teaching Moment
Not everyone is as cynical. Several respondents to Lifewire’s request for comment pointed out that the reach of Snapchat and TikTok makes these platforms good for education—if you can reach even a small percentage of users, that’s a good thing.
“In regards to Snapchat, there isn’t a downside to teaching ASL to more people and normalizing the use of ASL. The main concern is if Snapchat is consulting the deaf community on their program and ensuring that proper sign is being taught,” disability advocate Ceasarae Galvan told Lifewire via email.
Snapchat
And Snapchat is consulting the deaf community. The team at Snap calls itself the “Deafengers,” which may be a crime against English but is led entirely by team members who are deaf and hard-of-hearing. The idea behind this lens is not necessarily to teach everybody to sign, but to raise awareness and make it easier for signers to communicate online.
Radical Accessibility
I follow accessibility issues closely, from a technology point of view, and it seems like it has taken off over the last few years and entered into mainstream awareness. Even this year’s Best Picture Oscar winner has a predominantly deaf cast. But the cause of this wave of accessibility might be quite familiar.
“Accessibility is hot right now because of the pandemic,” deaf accessibility consultant Meryl Evans told Lifewire via email. “Companies were forced to do more business digitally and saw they were locking out a large number of people—those with disabilities. A Forrester survey found 80 percent of companies are working to achieve digital accessibility.”
Digital communication is well-suited to accessibility because you always have a camera and a computer as part of the setup. Technologies like Signall’s AR sign-language translation can work in one direction, and automatically-generated subtitles work in the other direction. And because it is live communication and not, say, those often-wonky auto-generated subtitles on YouTube videos, any glitches in translation can often be overcome through context or asking again.
Motortion / Getty Images
With this background, it makes a lot of sense for platforms like Snapchat to familiarize us with things like sign language. It might not be a university-level education, but it’s way more immediate and may be the perfect way to promote signing.
“The algorithm is incredible on TikTok,” says Galvan. “It places disabled creators in front of people who actually want to hear them and support them, making it easier to find a community. We are speaking out against oppressive systems and barriers to access and demanding change, and social media has given us the platform to do so.”
We think of TikTok and Snapchat as social or entertainment platforms, but their reach, immediacy, and younger demographic make them ideal places to plant pedagogical seeds. Educational resources can be packaged in all kinds of ways, including viral videos or fun Snapchat lenses. And when TikTok’s famous algorithm gets involved, as Galvan says, suddenly receptive viewers will be swept up into a more diverse world of creators.
“I honestly can’t see any downsides to gamifying ASL,” Daivat Dholakia, VP at medical regulatory specialist Essenvia, told Lifewire via email. “The more people know it, the more accessible the world becomes. I think, in general, Gen-Z and beyond are more focused on accessibility. It’s a generation with a lot of fierce empathy and drive for change, which may be the reason for the accessibility ‘trend.’”
If it is a trend, then it’s a welcome one. But it could just as well be a new normal for online communication, which is good news all around.
#Snapchat #TikTok #Great #Education #Platforms
Snapchat and TikTok Might Be Great Education Platforms
No more boring lectures
Snapchat’s ASL lens teaches you to use American Sign Language
Viral social platforms might be ideal ways to teach accessibility and more
Some worry that it’s more about publicity than education
Suriuawaut Suriya / Getty Images
Snapchat wants to help you learn American Sign Language (ASL).
The new ASL Alphabet Lens lets people practice the ASL alphabet, learn to sign their name, and play games. It is based on technology from Signall, which uses AR and cameras to read and translate sign language. But is Snapchat—or TikTok, or similar—a good platform for education? Or is this just using deaf awareness as a PR stunt, kind of like greenwashing but for accessibility?
“It doesn’t seem like a serious attempt to teach anything beyond the kind of tokenism you get on [Apple’s] Fitness+,” deaf designer and author Graham Bower told Lifewire in an interview.
Teaching Moment
Not everyone is as cynical. Several respondents to Lifewire’s request for comment pointed out that the reach of Snapchat and TikTok makes these platforms good for education—if you can reach even a small percentage of users, that’s a good thing.
“In regards to Snapchat, there isn’t a downside to teaching ASL to more people and normalizing the use of ASL. The main concern is if Snapchat is consulting the deaf community on their program and ensuring that proper sign is being taught,” disability advocate Ceasarae Galvan told Lifewire via email.
Snapchat
And Snapchat is consulting the deaf community. The team at Snap calls itself the “Deafengers,” which may be a crime against English but is led entirely by team members who are deaf and hard-of-hearing. The idea behind this lens is not necessarily to teach everybody to sign, but to raise awareness and make it easier for signers to communicate online.
Radical Accessibility
I follow accessibility issues closely, from a technology point of view, and it seems like it has taken off over the last few years and entered into mainstream awareness. Even this year’s Best Picture Oscar winner has a predominantly deaf cast. But the cause of this wave of accessibility might be quite familiar.
“Accessibility is hot right now because of the pandemic,” deaf accessibility consultant Meryl Evans told Lifewire via email. “Companies were forced to do more business digitally and saw they were locking out a large number of people—those with disabilities. A Forrester survey found 80 percent of companies are working to achieve digital accessibility.”
Digital communication is well-suited to accessibility because you always have a camera and a computer as part of the setup. Technologies like Signall’s AR sign-language translation can work in one direction, and automatically-generated subtitles work in the other direction. And because it is live communication and not, say, those often-wonky auto-generated subtitles on YouTube videos, any glitches in translation can often be overcome through context or asking again.
Motortion / Getty Images
With this background, it makes a lot of sense for platforms like Snapchat to familiarize us with things like sign language. It might not be a university-level education, but it’s way more immediate and may be the perfect way to promote signing.
“The algorithm is incredible on TikTok,” says Galvan. “It places disabled creators in front of people who actually want to hear them and support them, making it easier to find a community. We are speaking out against oppressive systems and barriers to access and demanding change, and social media has given us the platform to do so.”
We think of TikTok and Snapchat as social or entertainment platforms, but their reach, immediacy, and younger demographic make them ideal places to plant pedagogical seeds. Educational resources can be packaged in all kinds of ways, including viral videos or fun Snapchat lenses. And when TikTok’s famous algorithm gets involved, as Galvan says, suddenly receptive viewers will be swept up into a more diverse world of creators.
“I honestly can’t see any downsides to gamifying ASL,” Daivat Dholakia, VP at medical regulatory specialist Essenvia, told Lifewire via email. “The more people know it, the more accessible the world becomes. I think, in general, Gen-Z and beyond are more focused on accessibility. It’s a generation with a lot of fierce empathy and drive for change, which may be the reason for the accessibility ‘trend.’”
If it is a trend, then it’s a welcome one. But it could just as well be a new normal for online communication, which is good news all around.
#Snapchat #TikTok #Great #Education #Platforms
Synthetic: Vik News
