A proposal for a remote interactive class system with sign language interpretation

Abstract

Portugal, as part of the European Union, has general legislation regarding accessibility and inclusion for general purposes, particularly for education. There are several international and national initiatives, including some projects. However, disabled and non-disabled people still do not share equal opportunities. In this project a proposal for a remote class system is presented, which includes sign language interpretation, targeted at those students who cannot be physically present in the classroom and/or need sign language interpretation. The system is based on audio and video communication between the classroom, the student and an interpreter, so that the student can access and understand the content of the class in real-time, as well as be able to interact with the professor and classmates. A prototype is being developed in conjunction with the Portugal Telecom Foundation, which should be a step forward to a new full-featured service targeted at educational institutions and disabled students.