By Eric Morrison

Inquiries:
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customerservice@vcom3d.com
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An Intersection of Passion and Technology

Jason Hurdich represents a hopeful statistical anomaly, a person born Deaf who is not only employed, but impressively serving as the Lead Manager for the Sign Language Division and Chief Linguist at Vcom3D. Through their work, Jason and Vcom3D hope to make it easier for others to follow his lead.

We hope our programs will lessen very high unemployment rates and very low literacy rates for the Deaf and tear down the barriers so that people with disabilities will have more success.

Vcom3D produces a suite of products for Deaf and hard-of-hearing consumers as well as learners of foreign languages. Digital animation is at the heart of the company’s concepts for learning by using animated avatars that sign fluidly. In Sign Smith Studio, ASL Animations Volumes 1-4, and Sign Smith Illustrated Dictionary, the characters, including a lizard designed to engage young children, can be manipulated for distance and position in virtual space allowing users to learn to recognize signs from various natural positions as in reality. Words or blocks of text are transliterated for students who are Deaf so that they build lexicon and conceptual knowledge. Gesture Builder allows users without programming experience to create custom or locally relevant gestures and map them onto avatars. Focusing on these products for learners who are Deaf, Jason explains,

Teachers use the program to relate English words and their ASL (American Sign Language) correlations. The program distinguishes a best match using a filter, and there are drop down lists that can help. It’s very helpful to the Deaf in improving reading comprehension.

He explains that when Deaf individuals encounter words that cause confusion and frustration it is extremely beneficial to be able immediately to have the word and concept translated into familiar and recognizable ASL, even as the program helps to develop more sophisticated abilities in sign recognition itself.

Unique Aspects Of The Company

Vcom3D, according to Jason, is the leading company in a very small field generating applications expressly to help the Deaf and hard-of-hearing learn, and has taken on the challenge of mediating between languages with fundamentally different vernacular and grammatical structures, a complex technical process. Jason indicates that he can even envision a time at which systems will be able to mediate between English speech recognition input and animated ASL output at some point in the future: “We’re studying how to do that right now!” Grants from the National Science Foundation and Department of Education are substantially fueling development of various projects.

On Design

A core design concept for Vcom3D involves creating virtual learning environments that are as lifelike as possible.

As a linguist, I have discussions with the software team about the sign clarity and comprehension—it’s a complicated program based on having it able to sign fluidly.

Sophisticated algorithms with patents pending have been developed to permit a level of sharpness and fidelity in movement to allow tiny animated digits to be seen clearly on-screen. The application of compression permits Vcom3D products to use very little bandwidth, a design feature intended to support educational environments.

Collaboration

The desire to create products that involve substantial realism and accuracy forms the basis of a partnership with Gallaudet University, the flagship university for persons who are Deaf. In the collaboration, nuance in sign language behavior is studied for transfer into digital environments. This includes incorporating features of the sign styles and even minor behaviors—such as how different users of ASL tilt and lean their bodies—into separate avatars, allowing learners to be exposed to and prepared for natural variations. This extends even to the study of gender differences.

We are studying the sign styles of men versus women, how much the wrist is involved, what is feminine and masculine.

The collaboration is also assisting the company in helping to compensate for imbalances it recognizes in distance learning opportunities for persons with hearing loss even as it promotes a view of persons who are Deaf participating naturalistically in daily activities. Jason indicates the company is involved in developing a PDA-based application, and says,

Right now we’re having our current avatars behaving like normal human beings, moving around in 3-D environments—like walking around a basketball court—using their eye expressions and mouth movement. The Deaf can take that home for mobile applications. It’s for Deaf people who are having frustration doing long distance learning at home—like having a mobile instructor.

He hopes this will also meet another critical need: having children who are Deaf and their hearing families “learn sign together simultaneously.”

Knowing Users And User Requirements

Jason extends the concept of collaboration into connections with the marketplace and highlights the company’s responsiveness:

Collaboration is just very important. Without it, you wouldn’t know what the market needs, what people want. For example, people use to say the old avatar was too stiff in its animation. We’ve gotten a lot of feedback and the marketplace has caused adjustments to our facial expressions, our gestures, our animation. We work on making everything more fluid.

Vcom3D targets surveys to mainstream programs and schools for the Deaf in markets of all different sizes to help gather information. It partners with a third-party company, TERC, to administer testing that shows the effect of the software products through testing. Jason reports that substantial gains in reading have been obtained. (See the case study and final report from the NCTI-sponsored Technology in the Works research awarded to TERC in 2005.)

Changing Perspectives

Jason has seen some initial skepticism in the Deaf Community about technological supports simply because there are so few examples to see. Still, he indicates that persons who are Deaf have been very receptive to the concept of digital avatars presenting learning through animated sign language due in part to quality they see in the company’s animation. Even more importantly, the community is strongly motivated to see products help overcome substantial barriers and become integrated into strongly needed improvements in educational strategy. Vcom3D products also incorporate math and science vocabulary.

Etceteras

Jason emphasizes that the design of the company’s products supports

An independent learning style. Users don’t depend on a teacher so much or their parents—they can work free from that. It’s independent life learning. It’s empowering for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing.