We created the StorySign App, a revolutionary free mobile application to help open the world of books to deaf children, using mobile AI to translate popular children’s books into sign language.

The target end users for the StorySign App are the families with a deaf child, with a core end users of deaf children aged 0-5 (key for reading development).

With StorySign we set out to raise awareness of deaf literacy challenges, and realize a more inclusive world, in which our AI technology can help deaf children learn to read.

StorySign scans the words in selected children’s books and instantly translates them into sign language, using the most advanced signing avatar ever. For the first time, the world’s 32 million deaf children and their parents can learn to read and sign, together.
StorySign uses the power of Huawei’s mobile AI technology to boost performance. AI helps the app to be more accurate, reads text at 45 degrees with seamless image recognition, and even works in low-light conditions for bedtime stories.

As a user, simply take the physical copy of the children’s book in your local language, hold your smartphone over the words on any page, and the StorySign app instantly translates the words into sign language. At the same time, the words are highlighted to help make that crucial link between words and signs.

Results: Raising Awareness of Challenges with regards to Deaf Literacy
• 210M+ Video views about StorySign
• 2,000+ pieces of international coverage

Using Mobile Technology to help Deaf Children Learn to Read
• More than 100,000 downloads since launch
• 34% of the downloaders became daily active users
• 73% penetration in the local deaf community
• Available with 15 different Sign Languages
• Featuring a library of a total of 71 popular children’s books
• Available for free worldwide, on mobile devices via Huawei AppGallery, Google Play Store, and Apple App Store
• Supported by 14 National Deaf Associations, the EUD and World Federation of the Deaf

https://www.huawei.com/en/tech4all/stories/storysign

• International

• People with disabilities

The StorySign App was launched in December 2018, with one book in one language: British Sign Language. Soon thereafter, it was rolled out across Europe and Australia, with multiple books across 10 different sign languages, including British Sign Language, French Sign Language, German Sign Language, Spanish Sign Language, Italian Sign Language, Portuguese Sign Language and Australian Sign Language (Auslan).

The aim is to ultimately help all deaf children in the world learn to read. In September 2019, we also made the app available on iOS via the Apple App Store, now covering all modern smartphones, for free, so that people all over the world would be able to benefit from StorySign AI-enabled technology, regardless of where they live or what brand device they may use.

The app is available for free worldwide, for all modern smartphones via Huawei AppGallery, Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
It has been known to be used by families directly via their mobile phones, as well as by nurseries and primary schools via tablets.

The project was wholly funded by Huawei. All development, management, hosting, updates and further development, were all funded by Huawei as part of the TECH4ALL initiative, which aims to leave no one behind in the digital world, through our capabilities of technologies, skills and applications.

In order to support more partners to develop their own application for the deaf persons. In October, 2021, Huawei released SignPalKit SDK, which is Huawei’s special “Sign Language service based on AI performs. The developer can utilize SignPalKit SDK to develop multiple Apps for the deaf person.

The goal of WSIS is to achieve a common vision, desire and commitment to build a people-centric, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society where everyone can create, access, utilize and share information. StorySign App aims to build an inclusive platform which is centered on the deaf children to read, to ensure that the persons with disabilities also have the equal opportunity to learn.