Growing up, communication has often been a challenge in school. I did have sign language interpreters in all of my mainstream classes and other reasonable accommodations, such as notetakers. However, I wasn’t particularly fond of being assigned group projects. Because of my deafness, I could not fully participate in group discussions, as the other group members spoke in a language I could not understand. Eventually, it came to a point where I would simply pick out my portion of the assignment, complete it, then pass it along to the group and go about my day. I often depended on the ability of the class notetaker to take correct, detailed information that would help me in my studies. A lot of other school functions that I took part in were usually accompanied with a sign language interpreter, which, while extremely helpful, sometimes felt like taking along a third wheel.
Regarding social circles in school, I normally gravitated toward other deaf students because at least we could speak the same language. With the other deaf students, I could have far more meaningful discussions, laugh at jokes, debate current events, talk about movies and video games, and create deeper bonds of friendship. While I did have other hearing friends with whom I associate, communication was limited to paper-and-pen correspondence which I got a great many writing cramps from. I eventually moved up to texting once cell phone use became the social norm. The problem is this method of communication is limited to face value when it comes to developing friendships and creating bonds. While texting provided a WAY to communicate, it diverted the user’s attention away from body language, facial expression, and the opportunity of making eye contact. Ultimately, I have sometimes wondered that if there were a more effective way to communicate across language barriers, it would have defined my connections with hearing people in a vastly different way. With all the technological strides in recent years, there are new tools and apps that the Deaf and Hard of Hearing can use to communicate effectively with hearing people.
There are so many practical and beneficial applications that Bridg’d would have in academics and give the user more self-sufficiency and social freedom. First and foremost, the user could use Bridg’d to record class lectures into text form and save them for further study. The student would be able to ask their own questions during lectures. In this way, the user would have complete control over their own education in and out of the classroom.
With Bridg’d, the user can more fully participate in group discussions, contribute their own ideas, and work towards a common goal. The user will have deeper satisfaction of being more included as well as create better connections with the other group members. The same concept could apply to tutoring sessions, teacher office hours, and even when they need to talk with other faculty and staff.
Bridg’d especially help the user with the confidence to create deeper social bonds with hearing people in and out of classes. The Bridg’d app has many helpful functions such as voice recognition and words being highlighted as they are spoken. In this way, the user will be able to give more attention to the speaker’s body language, facial expression and increasing eye contact. The app would completely elevate the way the user communicates across language barriers.
Effective communication is a right for all people, especially in academics. This is why I feel strongly that Bridg’d will help other deaf and hard of hearing students in ways that have never been dreamed of before. With your help, we can bring Bridg’d into the classroom and effective communication into the hands of thousands of Deaf and Hard of Hearing children worldwide.
To learn more about our app: www.bridgdcom.com
To follow our Facebook page: Bridg’d Communications
To support our Indiegogo campaign: https://igg.me/at/Bridgd/x/33078506#/
