Dreambender

Congratulations! This Entry has been selected as a winner.

Dreambender: Isara: Open Sign Language Dictionary and Learning Application

Bandung, IndonesiaBandung, Indonesia
Year Founded:
2012
Organization type: 
for profit
Project Stage:
Growth
Budget: 
$10,000 - $50,000
Website:
http://dreambender.co.id
Twitter: 
http://facebook.com/dreambender
Facebook: 
http://facebook.com/dreambender
Share page with AddThis
Project Summary
Elevator Pitch

Concise Summary: Help us pitch this solution! Provide an explanation within 3-4 short sentences.

Isara is an open sign language dictionary and learning application. It provides interactive, real-time, and attractive sign language learning through usage of Kinect as motion sensor. With Kinect, user can practice the gesture based on video by doing until the gesture is perfectly done.

WHAT IF - Inspiration: Write one sentence that describes a way that your project dares to ask, "WHAT IF?"

What if every deaf people in the world can achieve their rights, communicate and receive education in their mother tongue, sing language?
About Project

Problem: What problem is this project trying to address?

According to the World Health Organization, there is about 364 million deaf people in the world nowadays. If one deaf person, at least has two close relatives, their father and mother, 1 Billion people need to learn sign language. Sign language is one of the hardest languages in the world. It consists of gesture, body language, and facial expression. Besides, sign language doesn’t have a global standard, so it varies in every country

Solution: What is the proposed solution? Please be specific!

Based on problem background above, our idea is to create an open sign language dictionary and learning application called Isara. It provides interactive, real-time, and attractive sign language learning through usage of Kinect as motion sensor. With Kinect, user can practice the gesture based on example video until the gesture is perfectly done. As an open dictionary, Isara accommodate any sign languages without diminishing its richness and diversity. and as a learning application, Isara also provides intuitive sign language learning for children through thematic sign learning feature. This feature let user learns through themes, images, and other visual aids. Besides, Isara also provides user-specific practice to test user's skill.
Impact: How does it Work

Example: Walk us through a specific example(s) of how this solution makes a difference; include its primary activities.

Isara is the first ever Indonesian Sign Language in Indonesia, not to be confused with Indonesian Sign System. So it's existence of Isara itself made impact to the acknowledgment of sign language for deaf community in society. By introducing Isara/Indonesian Sign Language to schools and public, people including teachers and parents with deaf kid start to accept Sign Language and event learn Sign Language to communicate with deaf kids. When society know about sign language more or even learn it, The stigma about Sign Language, that it is a "language for disable", will disappear over time. With it deaf community will gain their confident in society to learn and use their own language.

Impact: What is the impact of the work to date? Also describe the projected future impact for the coming years.

Currently Isara has been used intensely in 4 Deaf Organizations and more than 20 Deaf Schools in 5 Cities (Jakarta, Bandung, Jogja, Magelang and Solo) impacting for more than 500 deaf people in Indonesia. Now we are on the post production of 3 Indonesian Sign Language from outside Java. By next year we are planning to distribute outside Java Island, start with Bali, Makasar, and Pekanbaru. Our Target is we will coverage whole Indonesia in 2018

Spread Strategies: Moving forward, what are the main strategies for scaling impact?

Our goal is making Isara become The Biggest e-Community for Deaf in The World that does not just contain the Richest Sign Dictionary, but also Contents in Sign Language from all over the world. With that, world will become a much more Deaf-friendly place that serves Deaf People’s Basic Human Rights, Sign Language. Society will become a more inclusive society with smaller and smaller gap will be achieve between Deaf People and Hearing People especially in Education. One of our most important indicators is there will be more and more Deaf People pursue their higher education all around the world
Sustainability

Financial Sustainability Plan: What is this solution’s plan to ensure financial sustainability?

The vision of Isara project is to provide easy access to sign languages, by creating big and solid e-community for Deaf People that will not only get the benefits of Isara but also support the development of Isara. We are planning to make some cash through direct selling (DVD and Mobile Application), and Subscription from Educational Institution. We also have a plan to host our videos in Youtube as Youtube Partner to generate revenues from ads
Team

Founding Story

We were a student from the same collage and in the same club called Programming Club. In Programming Club we were exposed with building technology that could have positive impact to the society. We just stumbled upon each other that turned out to have the same passion about Digital Inclusion. We are really love technology and want to spread them to unfortunate people.

Team

We have a talented award winning team with more than 15 international and national awards since 2011. Our team is very inclusive, it consists of 3 Sign Language Expertises (Deaf and Hearing) as Business and System Analyst, 5 Programmers, 5 Multimedia Designers (Deaf and Hearing), and supported by The Biggest Deaf Organization in Indonesia (Gerkatin).
About You
Organization:
Dreambender Indonesia
About You
First Name

Rizky

Last Name

Ario

About Your Project
Organization Name

Dreambender Indonesia

How long has your organization been operating?

Project
Organization Country
Country where this project is creating social impact
Funding: How is your project financial supported?

Individuals, Businesses, Other.

Supplemental
Awards: What awards or honors has the project received?

1. Winner of Asia Pacific ICT Award 2011 of e-Inclusion/e-Community Category

2. Winner of Mandiri Young Technopreneur 2011 of Information and Communication Technology Category

3. Intel University of California, Berkeley Technology Entrepreneurship Challenge 2012 Programme Finalist

4. Winner of United Nation's ITU Telecom World 2012 Young Innovators Competition

5. Winner of Digital Empowerment For All in ITU Regional Development Forum 2013

6. Winner of GIST Startup Bootcamp 2014

Where have you learnt about the competition?
Tell us about your partnerships:

1. Gerkatin Indonesia (as know as Indonesian Association for Welfare of the Deaf ) gerkatin.com is the biggest Deaf Foundation in Indonesia. They are basically the core of Isara where they help us building more than 8000 videos of Isara, connecting to community and schools.

2. Bank Mandiri (Corporation). Help us in funding through their Corporate Social Responsibility program

Challenges: What challenges might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

Schools and Parents of Deaf Children that are lack of informations and ignorant that they usually force their kids to speak and lips-reading and forbid deaf children to communicate with sign language

Comments

I have read your article . it is very informative and helpful for me.my web