Hands That Speak: Building an AI Sign Language Translator

Outline

Content and Engagement:
- Introduction (1 minutes per cycle): Student presenters introduce themselves, explain the project purpose, and highlight the need for inclusive technology.
- Project Explanation (2 minutes per cycle): Students describe how they used a microcontroller and camera vision to build an AI-powered sign language translator. They share their design process, challenges, and iterations.
- Demonstration (6 minutes per cycle): Attendees interact with the prototype by making simple signs and seeing how the system translates them into text or voice.
Resources and Replication (3 minutes per cycle): Presenters provide a QR code with guides, code, tutorials, and materials list for attendees to replicate the project in their schools.
Discussion and Questions (4 minutes per cycle): Attendees ask questions, share ideas, and connect with student presenters.

Time:
Since poster sessions are open and flow continuously, this 16-minute cycle will be repeated multiple times during the 90-minute session, adapting to the arrival of new attendees.

Process:
- Audience engagement will be maintained through hands-on demo participation (trying the translator).
- Peer-to-peer interaction will occur as student presenters explain directly to small groups.
- QR code handouts will allow attendees to immediately access materials on their devices.
- Opportunities for discussion and feedback will be encouraged in each cycle.

Outcomes

After this session, participants will be able to:
- Understand how middle school students designed and built an AI-powered sign language translator using a microcontroller and camera vision.
- Explain how inclusive technology projects foster empathy, accessibility, and innovation in the classroom.
- Access and use shared resources (guides, code, tutorials, and materials list) to replicate the project in their own schools.
- Recognize practical strategies for integrating artificial intelligence and student-centered design into curriculum-based projects.

Supporting research

1.- World Health Organization (WHO). “World Report on Hearing” (2021).
Highlights that over 430 million people worldwide live with disabling hearing loss, stressing the urgent need for accessible communication technologies.
2.- National Association of the Deaf (NAD). “The Importance of Sign Language Access.”
Emphasizes that digital tools expanding access to sign language play a crucial role in equity and inclusion.
3.- United Nations. “Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education.”
Calls for inclusive and equitable education for all learners, supporting the integration of assistive technologies in schools.
4.- International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). “ISTE Standards for Students.”
Reinforces the importance of students as Innovative Designers, Computational Thinkers, and Digital Citizens, directly aligned with the goals of this project.
5.- Géronimi, A. et al. “Artificial Intelligence for Accessibility in Education” (UNESCO, 2022).
Describes how AI tools can break barriers for students with disabilities and foster empathy, equity, and digital inclusion.