Computer-assisted teaching of Sign Language using Computer Vision and Machine Learning

Sign Languages are crucial in the curricula of Primary Education University Departments or schools dealing with Special Education. However, it is hard for Higher Education Institutes to find and employ as tutors experts in Sign Language, so many educators are not adequately trained as students to face the challenges of communicating with deaf children in the classroom. Similar considerations apply to other education levels as well. CAT-SL aims to develop an innovative and affordable system/service for interactive Sign Language teaching for students in Special Education/Pedagogical departments and primary school education. It will be based on computer-vision, machine-learning, linguistic technology and avatars. The project will set up the CAT-SL infrastructure in four Higher Education Institutes and one primary education school, based on open standards, to enable its practical use by tutors and students. The project addresses the development of curricula and guides for teaching Sign Language using the CAT-SL system for two multilingual courses, in Greece, Cyprus, Portugal and Netherlands, to support the social inclusion of the deaf children.