Preliminary investigations on augmented reality for the literacy development of deaf children

Abstract

This paper reports on ongoing research on the development of an Augmented Reality (AR) application for the literacy development of hard of hearing children, particularly deaf children that rely on Arabic Sign Language (ArSL). This research is intended to help deaf children learn how to read by enhancing current elementary courseware with visual augmentation. Elicitation from literature reveals the profound value AR can provide for deaf learners, i.e. visual learners. Nevertheless, this approach is rarely undertaken for ArSL. Preliminary studies were conducted to determine the visual needs of deaf Arabic learners using three different instruments and targets: interviews with teachers and interpreters, observation of deaf children, and questionnaire for parents of deaf children. The results from teachers and parents of deaf children indicate a preference for multiple resources, primarily ArSL, photos, and videos. Students, in the other hands, performed better with finger-spelling and poorly in SL. This disconnect highlights the importance of considering various perspectives in the development of applications that target literacy in younger children.