Govt to boost educational resources for deaf learners
YUNIKEE is a social organisation that helps build and make products and services accessible for the deaf community in Sign Language.
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NEW DELHI: In a move to enhance educational accessibility for deaf students, the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Center (ISLRTC) and YUNIKEE have signed an agreement to boost educational resources for deaf learners.
YUNIKEE is a social organisation that helps build and make products and services accessible for the deaf community in Sign Language.
This partnership aims to facilitate 10,000 deaf learners through the creation and dissemination of educational resources in Indian Sign Language (ISL).
The MoU outlines a series of responsibilities and obligations for both ISLRTC and YUNIKEE, emphasising a strong collaborative approach with no financial involvement.
YUNIKEE, in collaboration with Infosys Foundation, will develop and publish 23 sign language courses, while ISLRTC will promote these courses widely across its social media platforms and other websites of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPWD).
One of the key components of the agreement is the development of 500 educational concept videos in ISL by YUNIKEE.
Of these, 200 videos will be self-funded by YUNIKEE, and for the remaining 300, YUNIKEE will seek Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding or alternative funding sources.
The roles and responsibilities of YUNIKEE include providing links and details of the 23 sign language courses, keeping track of enrollments, developing and modifying the list of educational concepts, recording and editing 500 educational concept videos, and securing funding for 300 of these videos.
ISLRTC's responsibilities encompass the promotion of the courses, encouraging student enrollment, finalising the list of educational concepts, providing feedback on the videos, and acknowledging YUNIKEE's contributions.
The specification for the videos includes coverage of various educational concepts taught at the school level, appropriate visuals to support the explanations, closed captions in English, English voicing, and a video duration of six to eight minutes for each concept. Practice worksheets in sign language will also be created for each concept.