Dictionary-based lip reading classification

Visual lip reading recognition is an essential stage in many multimedia systems such as “Audio Visual Speech Recognition” [6], “Mobile Phone Visual System for deaf people”, “Sign Language Recognition System”, etc. The use of lip visual features to help audio or hand recognition is appropriate because this information is robust to acoustic noise. In this paper, we describe our work towards developing a robust technique for lip reading classification that extracts the lips in a colour image by using EMPCA feature extraction and k-nearest-neighbor classification. In order to reduce the dimensionality of the feature space the lip motion is characterized by three templates that are modelled based on different mouth shapes: closed template, semi-closed template, and wideopen template. Our goal is to classify each image sequence based on the distribution of the three templates and group the words into different clusters. The words that form the database were grouped into three different clusters as follows: group1(‘I’, ‘high’, ‘lie’, ‘hard’, ‘card’, ‘bye’), group2(‘you, ‘owe’, ‘word’), group3(‘bird’)

Haptic Transit: Tactile feedback to notify public transport users

To attract people to use public transport, efficient transit information systems providing accurate, real-time, easy-tounderstand information must be provided to users. In this paper we introduce HapticTransit, a tactile feedback based alert/notification model of a system, which provides spatial information to the public transport user. The model uses real-time bus location with other spatial information to provide feedback about the user as their journey is in progress. The system allows users make better use of „in-bus‟ time. It allows the user be involved with other activities and not be anxious about the arrival at their destination bus stop. Our survey shows a majority of users have missed a bus stop/station whilst undertaking a transit journey in an unfamiliar location. The information provided by our system can be of great advantage to certain user groups. The vibration alarm is used to provide tactile feedback. Visual feedback, in the form of colour coded buttons and textual description, is also provided. This model forms the basis for further research for developing information systems for public transport users with special needs – deaf, visually impaired and those with poor spatial abilities

Assessing the Readiness of Nairobi Deaf Youth to Accept a Best-practice HIV/AIDS Intervention

After nearly forty years of HIV/AIDS research in the global community, data on HIV/AIDS in the Deaf population is still disproportionately neglected. No surveillance system is in place to monitor prevalence, awareness or mode of HIV infection in the Deaf community. Additionally, prevention and education interventions have yet to be tailored to meet the specific needs of this highly vulnerable population. Purpose: This project attempted to assess the readiness of the Nairobi Deaf youth community to accept a best-practice HIV/AIDS intervention. The broad objective of this research was to assess HIV awareness, perceptions and behaviors of Deaf youth in regards to HIV/AIDS in Nairobi, Kenya. Method: This project used the snowball sampling method to conduct a survey using a combination of pre-coded, and open-answer questions conducted with 60 Deaf youth (18-35) in Nairobi, Kenya. Interviews included topics of HIV/AIDS knowledge, risk perception, and risk behaviors. Results: The Nairobi Deaf youth community is unequipped to accept a best practice HIV/AIDS intervention at this time. Efforts need to be made to increase risk perception and develop social support. Also, comprehensive prevalence research needs to be conducted in this population. Conclusion: Based on the data collected in this survey and a review of literature, a peer-led, extracurricular education campaign seems to be the most acceptable best-practice intervention for targeting Deaf youth. Additionally, a supplementary, video-based, multifaceted language component would be suggested

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationThe primate auditory system is responsible for analyzing complex patterns of pressure differences and then synthesizing this information into a behaviorally relevant representation of the external world. How the auditory cortex accomplishes this complex task is unknown. This thesis examines the neural mechanisms underlying auditory perception in the primate auditory cortex, focusing on the neural representation of communication sounds. This thesis is composed of three studies of auditory cortical processing in the macaque and human. The first examines coding in primary and tertiary auditory cortex as it relates to the possibility for developing a stimulating auditory neural prosthesis. The second study applies an information theoretic approach to understanding information transfer between primary and tertiary auditory cortex. The final study examines visual influences on human tertiary auditory cortical processing during illusory audiovisual speech perception. Together, these studies provide insight into the cortical physiology underlying sound perception and insight into the creation of a stimulating cortical neural prosthesis for the deaf

HCI for the deaf community: developing human-like avatars for sign language synthesis

With ever increasing computing power and advances in 3D animation technologies it is no surprise that 3D avatars for sign language (SL) generation are advancing too. Traditionally these avatars have been driven by somewhat expensive and inflexible motion capture technologies and perhaps this is the reason avatars do not feature in all but a few user interfaces (UIs). SL synthesis is a competing technology that is less costly, more versatile and may prove to be the answer to the current lack of access for the Deaf in HCI. This paper outlines the current state of the art in SL synthesis for HCI and how we propose to advance this by improving avatar quality and realism with a view to ameliorating communication and computer interaction for the Deaf community as part of a wider localisation project

An example-based approach to translating sign language

Users of sign languages are often forced to use a language in which they have reduced competence simply because documentation in their preferred format is not available. While some research exists on translating between natural and sign languages, we present here what we believe to be the first attempt to tackle this problem using an example-based (EBMT) approach. Having obtained a set of English–Dutch Sign Language examples, we employ an approach to EBMT using the ‘Marker Hypothesis’ (Green, 1979), analogous to the successful system of (Way & Gough, 2003), (Gough & Way, 2004a) and (Gough & Way, 2004b). In a set of experiments, we show that encouragingly good translation quality may be obtained using such an approach

Working with Children with Learning Disabilities and/or who Communicate Non-verbally: Research experiences and their implications for social work education, increased participation and social inclusion

Social exclusion, although much debated in the UK, frequently focuses on children as a key 'at risk' group. However, some groups, such as disabled children, receive less consideration. Similarly, despite both UK and international policy and guidance encouraging the involvement of disabled children and their right to participate in decision-making arenas, they are frequently denied this right. UK based evidence suggests that disabled children's participation lags behind that of their non-disabled peers, often due to social work practitioners' lack of skills, expertise and knowledge on how to facilitate participation. The exclusion of disabled children from decision-making in social care processes echoes their exclusion from participation in society. This paper seeks to begin to address this situation, and to provide some examples of tools that social work educators can introduce into pre- and post-qualifying training programmes, as well as in-service training. The paper draws on the experiences of researchers using non-traditional qualitative research methods, especially non-verbal methods, and describes two research projects, focusing on the methods employed to communicate with and involve disabled children, the barriers encountered and lessons learnt. Some of the ways in which these methods of communication can inform social work education are explored alongside wider issues of how and if increased communication can facilitate greater social inclusion