[ad_1]
Poor literacy skills have plagued the deaf and hard of hearing community for decades. Average literacy rates among deaf high school graduates at the fourth grade level have declined since the turn of the 20th century, according to a Graduate Institute report. National Center for Special Education Research. Incorporating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) concepts into the mix — the vocabulary for which is limited in standard American Sign Language (ASL) — only gives deaf children another obstacle to success.
This is the problem when you start up in Illinois ASL Aspireone of the startups that presented at TechCrunch Disrupt’s Startup Battlefield 200, hopes to solve the problem with its game-based approach to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.
The ASL Aspire team works with deaf scientists and mathematicians who standardize STEM-based vocabulary in American Sign Language to create curriculum for teachers to incorporate into existing lesson plans.
ASL Aspire, which officially launched in 2022, targets middle school students initially, but is working to create curriculum for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. High school students have also benefited from the platform, with many falling behind their hearing peers, said Ayesha Kazi, co-founder and chief operating officer of ASL Aspire.
Kazi told TechCrunch that her co-founder, Mona Jawad, got the idea for the company while they were studying at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Jawad is working on her doctorate in speech and hearing sciences there.
“(Jawad) had worked directly in a lab with deaf scientists, so she saw that the biggest gap within language was in STEM,” Kazi told TechCrunch. “About 10% of Americans are deaf or hard of hearing, but only about 0.1% work in STEM fields.”
During her studies, Jawad noticed that there was a lot of research available on how to help deaf children learn STEM subjects, but no one had really taken the step to bring these findings from the research world to the commercial world.
So, in 2021, she asked Kazi, a friend of hers who was (and still is) studying computer science, if she wanted to join her in starting the company. It was one of those, “Sure, what the hell?” Moments: A pair of 17-year-old freshmen who didn’t really know what they were getting themselves into, according to Kazi’s account.
But because they were still students, they had the support of the university, which funded pilots and prototypes of their web app and helped introduce the technology and curriculum into local schools.
“It was a blessing in disguise that we were able to do these things so early and be in the school system from day one,” Kazi said.
In 2023, ASL Aspire completed pilots in five schools, helping about 200 children, mostly in California. The startup is trying to sell directly to school districts to its furthest extent, which is a tough sell at the best of times.
“The budget window is short, usually January to March, so trying to get your foot in the door right when it opens is tough,” Kazi said, noting that ASL Aspire also had to communicate over time to make sure they actually did that. Present their value proposition to school decision makers before opening this window.
The startup, which has raised $400,000 in research grant money, is also working with other educational institutions such as Space Center Houston and the St. Louis Zoo, according to Kazi.
Next year, ASL Aspire will target residential schools for the deaf in Fremont and Riverside, if all goes well with budget talks. Kazi also said that in the future, the team hopes to expand the game-based learning approach beyond STEM and into all subjects.
“It’s an uphill battle, but it’s worth it in the end, because you’re not just helping one kid… At the end of the day, I’ll have 2,000 students who will be able to use our app,” Kazi said.
[ad_2]