When Nikolas Kelly and Yamillet Payano hopped on a video call to hash out the details of their potential startup collaboration, little did they know that the hurdles they faced during the virtual meeting would become the perfect pitch for their groundbreaking idea. Read further to find out how this Dominican techy is empowering the deaf with her app.
Kelly, who happens to be deaf, had this ingenious concept of developing software that could translate sign language in real-time for those unfamiliar with it, using the power of machine learning. However, when Payano and Kelly met virtually, the communication dance turned into a bit of a stumble.
Payano, not versed in sign language, and with Zoom’s caption service lacking American Sign Language (ASL) translation, found the conversation challenging. It was during this struggle that Payano pondered if there was a more accessible way to navigate virtual discussions. To her surprise, there wasn’t, and that realization became the catalyst for their venture.
“You know that moment when you stumble upon something that screams, ‘This needs fixing,’ and you just can’t ignore it? That’s what hit me,” Payano shared with Insider. “I had to do something about this problem.”
Pooling their talents, and with an assist from Kelly’s friend Nicholas Wilkins, a software engineer at Google, they birthed Sign-Speak.
According to the World Health Organization, nearly 430 million people worldwide grapple with deafness or disabling hearing loss. Despite these staggering numbers, Payano points out that the scarcity of sign-language datasets is one reason why innovative translation solutions like theirs haven’t quite hit the mainstream.
Sign-Speak is on a mission to change that narrative by creating its own dataset of ASL signs to power its translation software, currently tailored for English but with future plans for expansion into other languages. Think of Sign-Speak as the Siri for the deaf community, Payano urges.
In a tasty beta test at a Washington, DC pizza joint in late 2021, Sign-Speak’s software facilitated seamless communication between customers and staff as orders were signed and translated on tablets. Similarly, a trial run at a zoo in Rochester, New York, helped visitors with spoken guidance.
Around 90 people a day embraced the innovation, proving that businesses could better cater to a community they may have unintentionally overlooked. Although these trials have concluded, Sign-Speak aims to make its mark in the business world by collaborating with enterprises and small businesses later this year.
“They didn’t have to go through the dance of writing back and forth. No begging, no pleading. They just felt seen for the first time,” Payano said.
For the deaf and hard-of-hearing, preparation becomes a tiresome routine when dealing with businesses that aren’t designed with them in mind.
Payano highlighted banks as a prime example, citing a 2011 case where Wells Fargo settled an Americans with Disability Act (ADA) complaint for allegedly refusing to serve deaf clients. Payano envisions Sign-Speak stepping in to facilitate transactions in banks, making them more deaf-friendly.
Currently, deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals often rely on translators, lip-reading, or jotting notes on paper to communicate with businesses.
Payano acknowledged the cost-prohibitive nature of translators and interpreters, emphasizing that Sign-Speak aims not to replace them but to offer more accessible alternatives. Above all, she stressed the company’s commitment to the community it serves.
Looking ahead, Sign-Speak dreams of a world where people, one hearing and one deaf, converse effortlessly on a train platform using their app.
It is projected that the number of people with hearing disabilities will increase globally in the coming years, reaching 711 million by the year 2050.
As the company charts its growth, Payano emphasizes the importance of staying true to the original purpose and the community it serves. “We believe in building with the deaf community, not for the deaf community,” she asserted. “And we have a long way to go.”
