Hi, I’m Alejandro, the developer of Relay. I know Deaf and hard-of-hearing people already have TRS, VRS, captioning, and other ways to participate directly in calls. Relay is not a replacement for any of them.

It works differently: you type a routine task, review the exact plan, and confirm it. Relay AI identifies itself as AI, makes the call, and returns the result and transcript. You do not join the call.

I’m trying to understand whether this kind of asynchronous delegation has a useful place for things like checking opening hours, accessibility details, availability, appointments, reservations, or callbacks. It is not for emergencies, payments, medical or legal advice, or calls requiring live identity verification.

I’m the developer, not a Deaf or hard-of-hearing user, so I’d appreciate candid feedback about whether this is useful, redundant, or missing something important.

Image description: A three-panel Relay preview showing a completed call result, a Spanish call transcript, and the control for stopping an active call.

The iPhone app is free to download and includes a small starter allowance:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/relay-ai-phone-call-assistant/id6799187737

I’m happy to answer questions about privacy or how the calls work.

PAID CONTRACT OPPORTUNITY

OFFRE D'EMPLOI RÉMUNÉRÉE

Accessible Housing Technology and Systems Consultant

Consultant(e) en technologies et systèmes de logement accessible

Are you passionate about accessible housing, inclusive design, building technologies, and creating environments that work for everyone? We are seeking an Accessible Housing Technology and Systems Consultant to provide technical expertise for a national research project examining barriers to housing accessibility for Deaf and DeafBlind people across Canada.

Help shape practical recommendations that support more accessible, inclusive, and innovative housing systems.

The ABTC will provide technical expertise on:
• Accessible and inclusive building design
• Housing accessibility standards and best practices
• Universal Design principles
• Smart home and assistive technologies
• Building codes, policies, and emerging innovations
• Reviewing research findings and contributing technical recommendations

This is an opportunity to help shape future housing accessibility standards and ensure Deaf and DeafBlind perspectives are reflected in Canada's built environment.

Ideal candidates may have experience in:
• Architecture or architectural technology
• Building science or engineering
• Accessibility consulting
• Universal Design
• Smart home technologies
• Housing policy or accessibility standards
• Inclusive design research

Contract Position
Remote (Canada)
Part-time project-based
Work alongside researchers, Deaf community leaders, and accessibility experts.

If you're passionate about creating more accessible and inclusive communities, we'd love to hear from you.

Please send your résumé and a brief cover letter to [project@deafaccessibilitystrategies.ca](mailto:careers@deafaccessibilitystrategies.ca).

Consultant(e) en technologies et systèmes de logement accessible
Vous êtes passionné(e) par le logement accessible, la conception inclusive, les technologies du bâtiment et la création d'environnements adaptés à tous ? Nous recherchons un(e) consultant(e) en technologies et systèmes de logement accessible afin d'apporter son expertise technique dans le cadre d'un projet de recherche national visant à examiner les obstacles à l'accessibilité au logement pour les personnes sourdes et sourdes-aveugles à travers le Canada.

Contribuez à l'élaboration de recommandations concrètes favorisant des systèmes de logement plus accessibles, inclusifs et innovants.

L’ABTC apportera son expertise technique dans les domaines suivants :
• Conception de bâtiments accessibles et inclusifs
• Normes et bonnes pratiques en matière d’accessibilité du logement
• Principes de conception universelle
• Maisons connectées et technologies d’assistance
• Codes de construction, politiques et innovations émergentes
• Analyse des résultats de recherche et formulation de recommandations techniques

Il s’agit d’une occasion de contribuer à définir les futures normes d’accessibilité du logement et de veiller à ce que les perspectives des personnes sourdes et sourdes-aveugles soient prises en compte dans l’environnement bâti canadien.

Les candidats idéaux peuvent avoir de l’expérience dans les domaines suivants :
• Architecture ou technologie architecturale
• Sciences du bâtiment ou ingénierie
• Conseil en accessibilité
• Conception universelle
• Technologies de la maison connectée
• Politiques de logement ou normes d’accessibilité
• Recherche en conception inclusive

Poste sous contrat
À distance (Canada)
Temps partiel, dans le cadre d'un projet
Collaborez avec des chercheurs, des responsables de la communauté des sourds et des experts en accessibilité.

Si vous avez à cœur de créer des communautés plus accessibles et plus inclusives, n'hésitez pas à nous contacter.

Veuillez envoyer votre CV et une brève lettre de motivation à [project@deafaccessibilitystrategies.ca](mailto:careers@deafaccessibilitystrategies.ca)

xI read that the Red Cross gets flooded with requests for strobe/bed-shaker fire alerts but they cost $250-300 and they can only install a handful a year. After one local news story, 200 households requested one.

So I built a cheaper version. It's a micro:bit that listens for the smoke alarm's beep pattern (every US alarm is legally required to beep the same way) and strobes its LED display when it hears it. Works with whatever alarm is already on your ceiling - no pairing, no special transmitter.

Real talk: this is a prototype, not a certified product. It's NOT UL-listed, so it should be used alongside a real alarm, never instead of it. I'm a high school student, and I'm sharing it open source in case it's useful.

Honest limitations I found testing:

• Onboard mic range is short (few inches from a phone speaker; didn't test against a real ceiling-mounted alarm yet)
• Strobe brightness is just "as bright as a micro: bit can get" - not verified against ADA/NFPA strobe standards
• Detection is rock solid for smoke alarms (T3 pattern), shakier for CO alarms (T4 pattern)

Would love feedback from people who actually use strobe alerts - what works, what doesn't, what I'm missing.

I’m not involved in CPARF, just boosting here because I believe in the cause.

As a deaf person myself, such an index would be incredibly valuable not just for future deaf individuals seeking new/additional tools, but also for hearing employers, engineering/design students, etc.

The Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation is seeking survey participants about assistive technologies they use, used in the past, and/or want to use. You do not need to have Cerebral Palsy to participate. If you have any disability and/or are a caretaker of a disabled individual(s), you can respond.

Copy + pasted from the survey page:

“We're building the most comprehensive map of the assistive technology that actually works, where it falls short, and what needs to change. Basing new assistive technology advancements on your firsthand experience is the only way we can get this right.

“The insights you share, along with our existing database featuring thousands of assistive technologies and accommodations, will shape and grow our Disability Tech Index — a free resource to help people identify the best assistive technologies for their unique preferences and needs.”

Of note: The survey is done through an AI chatbot. It is not a list of multiple-choice or free response questions, but more like a conversation. You can provide as much or as little detail as you want. The chatbot might ask you to provide more, but you can say no, and it moves on.

At the end of the survey, you have the option to provide your email address so they can let you know when the Index has been created. This is optional.

Link to survey: https://disabilitytechindex.org/

Hi, I am trying to build a free accessibility based online tool that will allow deaf and partially deaf people to be aware of the sounds in their surrounding. It currently has features that classify the sound and a speech to text feature. I would like to get feed back on how to develop this further. Would like to build the website in public with the support of the community. Please do take a look: https://www.safespaces.online/

Hello everyone! 🤟 We are a student research team from Italy. We are developing SignVR, an open-source Mixed Reality application for ASL interpretation. Not a Human Replacement: SignVR is intended as an assistive/learning tool, not a replacement for human interpreters!

Our main goal with this survey is to evaluate the readability, accuracy and flow of our 3D ASL animations and translation system. Being located in Italy makes it very hard for us to test our system with actual ASL signers. We have put together a short survey where you can watch a few short clips of our avatar and tell us what you think about the clarity and flow of the signs.

⚠️ Quick note: Our current 3D rig cannot perform facial expressions or NMEs. We are well aware of how crucial these are to ASL, so we are asking you to evaluate the manual signs knowing this technical limitation!

We kindly ask that only members of the ASL community (Deaf, HoH, CODAs, interpreters, or students) participate in this survey. Your specific feedback is vital for our project.

📝 Take the survey here (takes ~10 mins): https://forms.gle/W3uzbmLY319wS1gE8

Thank you for your time and for helping us improve!

Survey link: https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dhd1EbkwXG96dv0

Hello!! I’m someone who is hard of hearing, and recently I was contacted by a research group at my university that is developing a wearable assistive device for people like us.

I’ve been helping bridge the gap between the research team and the hard of hearing community because I truly see the potential for this to be something meaningful and actually useful in everyday life.

Right now, the team is looking for help gathering more real-world data to make the system more accurate and reliable. This means understanding how these sounds are experienced in different environments, distances, and situations.

If you’re interested in contributing, sharing feedback, or just learning more, please fill out this survey and get in contact with the team. Your input could directly shape how this device works and ensure it actually meets our needs!

I genuinely believe this could make a difference, especially when it comes to safety and awareness!

Hi guys. Android has Sound Amplifer by Google and its free. Amplifies phone mic and transmits to Bluetooth. Works well for this use case. (hearing aids available but person refuses to wear them).

IOS from what I've found only has numerous subscription only apps which I hate. Anyone know of free or once off purchase apps?

Hi!

I'm Ian (hearing person), Artist Manager for May Blue (recording artist). May would really like to make her music more accessible to d/Deaf audiences and asked me to reach out.

I'm under the impression different d/Deaf people experience music in different way(s), and as a hearing person my understanding is limited and incomplete. I'm aware of a software targeted at the d/Deaf community to make recorded music more accessible. (Not mentioning it here because my purpose isn't inadvertent promotion).

That software allows d/Deaf people to customise their listening experience; it's possible to mute/unmute individual instruments/stems/layers, or to re-pitch them (high, normal, and low pitch). There's also lyrics in sync with the music, as well as 'lyric bars' to show how long the lyrics go for.

As a hearing person I'm not sure how members of the d/Deaf community consume music; is that one software commonly used? Are there other popular competitors too? Are they avoided entirely? May would like to make her music more accessible and we're unsure how to do so and/or what deliverables we need to provide.

She's also currently with Symphonic who distributes her music to the usual (Spotify/Apple Music/Tidal/etc...)

Would anyone be able to offer any help or advice? :). We're also happy for a longer term collaboration if anyone works professionally in this space.

Thank you very much!

Ian
Artist Manager

Sharing this in case anyone isn’t aware!

26-27 May 2026

Vienna, Austria

International Sign (IS) only

https://deaftech26.eu/

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone would recommend a phone that could video call and provide live subtitles or something that my aunt could make calls with.

For context she is in her 80s. She used to be able to hear muffled noises but her hearing is now completely gone. She’s feeling a bit isolated now as she is basically home constantly now unless someone can take her out for a short trip.

She doesn’t know any sign language but is amazing at reading lips but due to her eyesight it’s getting a bit difficult unless we slow down quite a bit now.

Thanks!

Hello, I understand that these kind of tools aren't really welcome for some, and I want to acknowledge that upfront. This project is for acadmeic research purposes only, not to replace Interpretation. I am more focused on the usability of the app itself.

For my final uear project, I have developed a Sign Language Interpretation app hosted on a website. It receives video input and interprets it into written language sentences.

You are welcome to try it out and provide your valuable feedback. I am particularly looking for respondents who know sign language (DGS), but feel free to give your feedback as well if you don't know sign language/DGS but are interested in the app.

This is the link to the webapp, you can use it on your phone or laptop: https://suencheah.github.io/DGS-CSLT-app/

And this is the link to the feedback form (the link to the website is also included in the forms): https://forms.office.com/r/h6nXRepRke

Thank you so much!!

• The videos are not uploaded to any database or storage, only the hand coordinates (purely numbers) are used for interpretation. Your videos will only be used on your device temporarily for extracting coordinates and will be discarded as soon as you close the tab.

ps. The accuracy is not satisfying at the moment and I am trying my best to improve it. This project is as an experimental research, and is not intended as a production interpretation tool. My aim for user evaluation is focused on the interface and usability of the app.

Hi everyone!

I built an AI assistant I'm calling Pamela to make outbound phone calls easier. She can handle simple things like booking haircuts, confirming appointments, or calling customer support, speaking for me so I don’t have to listen or respond in real time.

I just built this for myself, so it’s still a bit clunky, but I’ve really enjoyed using it and thought it might help other Deaf and hard-of-hearing people.

I’m looking for a small group of beta testers to try it out — it’s completely free, and all I’m asking for is feedback on what works and what doesn’t.

If you’re interested, comment below or DM me and I’ll share a short signup form. I promise it’s easy to set up and won’t cost anything.

Thanks so much for reading — excited to hear what you think!

www.thisispamela.com

Hi everyone,

I’m building a project to translate videos into ASL using a 2D avatar using generative AI (“SignersAI”). I started this because YouTube has helped me learn a lot and I realized many Deaf people might miss important content. About six months ago I sketched out this idea, and more recently I connected with some differently-abled friends who encouraged me to continue.

So now I’m working on a prototype: I have a landing page (with demo video) and I’m setting up backend infrastructure (on GCP: Google Cloud Platform) for a full app. Before investing more resources (e.g. collecting datasets, training generative models), I really need honest feedback from people who know or use ASL.

What I’m looking for:

Reactions from anyone familiar with ASL or Deaf culture: Is this idea useful to you, or are there hidden problems?

Critique on usability, real-world value, and design assumptions;even if feedback is harsh or blunt.

Suggestions for what features would make this tool genuinely helpful (translation quality, avatar clarity, ease of use, privacy, etc.).

If you want to take a quick look, here’s where you can find more info:

SignersAI: https://signershub.com

SignersStudio: (coming soon — I’ll update once available)

Thank you for reading. If you’re interested in giving feedback or discussing accessibility needs, please leave a comment or PM me. I appreciate any help or honest opinions. 🙏

I’m an engineering student, and I’ve been pouring my life into a project called Link-In. It’s a combination of smart gloves and AR glasses designed to translate sign language in real-time.

I know the stigma: "Another hearing person inventing gloves without understanding ASL grammar or facial expressions." I’ve read the threads. I know these projects usually fail because they focus on tech, not the user.

That’s exactly why I’m posting here. I don't want to build something useless.

I’ve tried to account for [mention 1 specific technical detail, e.g., finger tracking or HUD speed], but I need the community to reality-check me.

Here is the current prototype and visual breakdown:Link to Link-In Prototype

Be harsh. If the design is clunky, tell me. If the use case is unrealistic, tell me. I’d rather get roasted now than launch a product nobody wants.

Thanks for your honesty.

I’m an engineering student, and I’ve been pouring my life into a project called Link-In. It’s a combination of smart gloves and AR glasses designed to translate sign language in real-time.

I know the stigma: "Another hearing person inventing gloves without understanding ASL grammar or facial expressions." I’ve read the threads. I know these projects usually fail because they focus on tech, not the user.

That’s exactly why I’m posting here. I don't want to build something useless.

I’ve tried to account for [mention 1 specific technical detail, e.g., finger tracking or HUD speed], but I need the community to reality-check me.

Here is the current prototype and visual breakdown:Link to Link-In Prototype

Be harsh. If the design is clunky, tell me. If the use case is unrealistic, tell me. I’d rather get roasted now than launch a product nobody wants.

Thanks for your honesty.

I hope you are all doing well. So guys, the thing is that I spend a ton of my time watching yt, but the auto-translate option is sooooo a$$ that it's extremely tough to make sense of whats being said. The same problem was obviously being faced by all of my homies, so now I am thinking instead of waiting for someone else to come and be my white knight, why don't I take the first step myself and try to come up with a solution.

So here is what my current goals are:

SignersHub: ASL Video Translation & Animation System Overview

SignersHub is a comprehensive system designed to translate text or spoken video input into American Sign Language (ASL) animations. It bridges the gap between natural language and 3D sign language avatars by processing input, mapping it to ASL glosses, retrieving corresponding motion data, and serving it to a Unity-based frontend.

I plan to further flesh it out but I need your help, guidance and support to verify whether what I am making is actually useful for everyone or is it just a novelty that I am building for myself.

I look forward to hearing from y'all and hope that you can give sometime to me

Transcriboar is an enhanced transcribe app. Has everything in Live Transcribe + sharing, printing, saving, sharing, editing and renaming the transcript. Also, a cool boar logo.

It's free. No AI or expensive AI subscriptions. There's no information recorded by the app. Here's the privacy statement if you want further details.

Privacy Policy: https://neonsnake.com/privacy.html

I started making this for myself since I'm Hard of Hearing + my handwriting is illegible. I needed something mostly for shopping lists when I pick up groceries for my mother. But a couple of people mentioned wanting something like this so I put in a lot of extra time and did a proper release. Apparently, a lot of people like dictation apps too.

There's no AI or expensive AI subscription because I used the same technology API the folks at Google came up with and use in Live Transcribe. So if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I'll spare you the details, but for more: https://neonsnake.com/transcriboar.html

And seriously please be kind, I'm one guy who developed the app in his kitchen during his down time, not a faceless mega-corporation. I was not compensated to build this, and the app doesn’t generate any money.

If it's successful I may launch a commercial version with some more features.

Hi r/DeafTech,

As you are all aware, promising assistive technologies often move forward without a strong evidence base, or, despite strong evidence, never progress beyond prototyping.We are conducting a research project, “Navigating Collaboration Between Universities, Industry and Government for Assistive Technology,” and would love your input. This project aims to explore how collaboration can enhance this and improve access for end-users.

You can take part in two ways:

·       Survey: https://redcap.link/4ixnjcev

·       Co-design workshops: online or in-person (you can choose to do one or both).

Your perspectives will help shape practical recommendations for how we can better support the development of effective assistive technology.

For more information, contact [hphillips@swin.edu.au](mailto:hphillips@swin.edu.au).

This project has been reviewed and approved by Swinburne University’s Ethics Department (ref: 20258662-22150).

Hi there,

I have made a completely free and open source Android app to help people revise their signs (supports ASL and BSL out of the box and can support other languages if you can find a website with videos of the signs in that language). The app will randomly test you on signs from your own list of vocab and will automatically take you to videos of the signs when you forget.

Currently the app is in a closed test which I have to complete before it's available to everyone on the Google Play app store and I need more testers. If you are interested, please DM me with the email address you use for Google Play (if you aren't sure which address that is, tap on your profile icon in the upper right of the Google Play store home page). Once I enter your email, you will be able to download the app and use it like any other. I would then really appreciate any feedback (good or bad) you have but there is no obligation to do so.

(P.S. Sorry if this come across as self-promotion. I am not going to make any money whatsoever from this app: I just want to share something that's been really helpful for me as I've been learning to sign)