Personal course space
Create, read and manage private courses and files.
Learning toolsKinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Working accessibility prototype
More ways
to learn.
More ways
to connect.
An accessibility project exploring learning and communication support for Deaf, hard-of-hearing and non-speaking people, including sign-language users.
Beginning locally. Developing with care.
THE HUMAN SIDE OF TECHNOLOGY
Different needs.
Shared possibilities.
Shared possibilities.
OUR HUMANITARIAN PURPOSE
More opportunities to participate in learning.
More room for each person’s way of communicating.
01 — THE STARTING POINT
Access takes more
than one format.
A lesson can be available and still be difficult to access.
Some learners need clearer text, some use sign language, and some prefer visual or spoken support. Communication needs differ; no single format serves everyone.
Our humanitarian purpose is to explore how technology can support participation in learning and everyday communication, while respecting those differences.
02 — INSIDE THE PROTOTYPE
Practical tools.
An evolving project.
These capabilities are present in the working prototype. This website introduces the project; it does not provide access to the application.
Text simplification
Request simpler course text and key ideas alongside the original. AI suggestions require human review.
Reading supportFrench spoken reading
Listen to written course content where spoken support is useful, with playback and speed controls.
Spoken supportVisual demonstrations
Explore a limited set of visual resources and movement demonstrations, with source and language labels.
Limited coverageCamera interaction
Try a small set of experimental gesture interactions, with a message to confirm.
ExperimentalHand and face tracking
View hand and facial movement tracking during optional camera experiments.
Experimental useArticulated 3D playback
Observe selected movements with articulated characters. Linguistic validation remains planned.
Visual explorationLocal sign notebook
Keep a personal collection of sign videos and notes in the browser on the current device.
Personal resourcesTracking movements or replaying demonstrations does not establish that signed language has been understood.
03 — HOW IT MAY HELP
Different ways in.
More possibilities.
The project explores complementary ways to approach a lesson or a conversation. These are intended benefits, not measured educational outcomes.
Approach a lesson differently
Move between original text, simpler wording and spoken reading when useful.
Make room for visual support
Explore visual demonstrations alongside written learning materials.
Build on local knowledge
Develop future resources with sign-language users and local reviewers.
The longer-term ambition concerns African sign languages and locally used sign-language varieties. Expansion depends on separate local expertise and validation, not an assumption of one shared language.
04 — CLEAR LIMITS
An honest view
of where we are.
A working prototype is a starting point. Being clear about its limits is part of the work.
- Continuous sign-language translation is not available in this prototype and has not been validated.
- Local language coverage requires community validation.
- Educational impact has not yet been independently measured.
- Current camera interactions are experimental.
- The system does not replace professional human interpreters.
Movement demonstrations should not be treated as validated language instruction.
05 — RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT
Local knowledge
should guide the work.
Deaf community co-leadership and local sign-language expertise are planned next steps, not partnerships already in place.
Community participation
Secure Deaf community co-leadership and local sign-language expertise before research collection or language-validation work.
Local linguistic review
Involve qualified local reviewers to assess meaning, variation and ambiguity. Preserve room for disagreement.
Consent and privacy
Establish governance and explicit, informed consent before recording. Recording, research use and publication require separate permissions.
Human review and correction
Keep human judgement central to responsible AI use. Make uncertainty clear and provide ways to review and correct outputs.
These commitments guide future development; they do not mean that a research programme or linguistic validation has already been completed.
06 — WHAT COMES NEXT
A careful path
forward.
Planned steps, dependent on participation, consent and the resources needed to do them well.
PLANNED DEVELOPMENTLocal validation in Kinshasa
Seek community co-leadership and local expertise to define and review the initial language scope.
Usability testing
Test whether the prototype is understandable and useful for people with different access needs.
Community-reviewed resources
Develop resources with documented local review and appropriate permissions.
Broader sign-language coverage
Explore additional languages and varieties only with relevant expertise and local validation.
Accessibility expansion
Improve access across devices, reading preferences and communication needs, informed by testing.
07 — PROJECT STATUS
Working prototype.
A functioning web prototype exists, with course tools and experimental visual interactions. That is an engineering starting point, not evidence of validated sign-language translation or independently measured educational impact.
This website is a standalone presentation. The application, its accounts and its data are not accessible from this page.
CONTACT
Let’s make room
for more possibilities.
Thoughtful conversations can shape what comes next.
A professional public contact address will be added before launch.
Kinshasa
Democratic Republic of the Congo