Frequently Asked Questions

Why did you choose "Deafness"?

We chose to focus on hearing impairment because we believe that the ability to hear is something that connects us to our world and it is sad to think that some people are not giving the opportunity to express their own personal ideas and opinions just because they have this “disability”. Even though they are deaf it does not mean that they do not have an opinion and perspective about our world. So, we decided to focus on this because we wanted to give deaf people the opportunity to also feel supportive by society and not only feel like if they are less than what they are.

Why an ASL Hand?

We thought it might be a fun way for people of all ages to feel connected, educated and at the same time attracted towards such an innovative, creative and thoughtful toy. We knew that we did not want our project to only be fun but also a way to literally teach something to deaf people.

What else would you add to your toy?

Since we only had 11 weeks to finish this project, if we had more time we would have added other letters including their wrists movements, a component to keep rewards and we would have made it a battery-charged toy. In the same way, we would make it a themed-toy so kids, especially, would feel more attracted to it.

How is the ASL Hand a toy for deaf people?

The hand does not only serve as an interactive and innovative artifact but by making the signs from ASL itself, it teaches people the correct way of making a letter by letting the user learn and memorize what each letter is and play around with the toy.