SueñaLetras
Learning to read and write is one of the first challenges we face as children, and it is crucial for our development. But for children who are deaf or have hearing impediments, learning to read and write poses an additional challenge. Literacy is a representation of oral discourse and not of sign language, which is the natural language for children with hearing impediments. SueñaLetras offers a tool that associates text with sign language through different educational stimuli and activities. It is an innovative strategy that uses technological resources to connect deaf children with reading and writing.
Problematic
Given the lack of teacher training and appropriate materials in schools and care facilities, deaf children need to learn written language, which is not their natural language. As a result, many deaf children begin primary school, especially in rural areas, without having developed any language. In the long term, language limitations can result in low self-esteem, social exclusion, illiteracy, and unemployment, and can also affect a person’s emotional health.
Solution
SueñaLetras is a free virtual tool to support teachers in the instruction of reading and writing to deaf children. It is a bilingual tool that teaches reading and writing in sign language, which is the mother tongue of the deaf. The materials combine texts with videos in sign language, a representation of lip reading, and other educational activities. Given that the activities offered by SueñaLetras associate written language with sign language, the application promotes the learning of vocabulary in the two languages. The application can be adapted to the pace of learning of the children using it, and it allows for adding new words, videos, and images. It can also be downloaded so that it can be used without an Internet connection. Since sign language is not necessarily the same in different countries, the application is available in different versions designed for Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico, Ecuador, and Brazil.
Evaluation and Impact
No information available.