In the buzzing world of tech start-ups, it is not unusual for three youngsters to come together to set up a new venture. But what if all the youngsters are deaf and two of them women?
It is usually the stuff of feel-good movies, not of actual life, until you hear the story of Digital Arts Academy for the Deaf (Daad).
Founded by Remya Raj, Sulu A. Naushad and Abey James, Daad is developing a web-based application for providing computer courses in the Indian Sign Language (ISL). It was short-listed in the 10 best start-ups at last month’s She Loves Tech, a global event promoting women in technology in Kochi.
“Our product is developed entirely by the deaf,” 25-year-old Naushad, co-founder and Finance Director of Daad, tells GN Focus through the start-up’s interpreter. Apart from the programmer and the interpreter, all of Daad’s employees are deaf.
“We clearly understand the practical needs of the deaf, which the developers from the hearing community may not realise,” she explains. “Our nuanced understanding will reflect in the product.”
We clearly understand the practical needs of the deaf, which the developers from the hearing community may not realise. Our nuanced understanding will reflect in the product.
Daad’s aim is to use the insight the founders have gained from their experience to offer courses that will instill confidence in the deaf and broaden their career choices. Its product offering will include online certificate courses on popular job-oriented computer topics. The videos and tutorials communicate in the ISL with subtitles in English. It will also provide basic ISL-awareness courses for both the deaf and the hearing community. There are also plans to integrate an artificial intelligence-based tool that automatically translates spoken languages to the ISL.
How it all started
It wasn’t until Remya entered the workforce as an IT project manager that she fully realized the barriers a deaf professional faces and how ill-prepared both the workplace and the hearing community are in terms of accommodating the deaf.
If society and the corporate world accommodate the Indian Sign Language a bit more generously, deaf people’s lives will be much easier.
“If society and the corporate world accommodate the ISL a bit more generously, deaf people’s lives will be much easier,” says Remya, 36, CEO of Daad.
She quit her job and started thinking about setting up a business that would change deep-rooted prejudices about the deaf.
She roped in her family friend, Sulu, while Remya’s husband, Satish, a software developer at Technopark Thiruvananthapuram, who is also deaf, put her in touch with Abey, a computer science graduate.
A firm belief in their ability and equality connects them. The hardships they face in their lives are not because of their lack of spoken words, they assert. It is because of the society’s inability in general to understand the language in which they communicate.
“People hear with their ears,” says Abey, 26, Managing Director and Head of Technology. “The deaf hear with the eyes. That is the only difference. The deaf do not have any disability.”
People hear with their ears. The deaf hear with their eyes. That is the only difference. The deaf do not have any disability.
They wanted to prove that the deaf can fully contribute to society and decided an edutech app would be the best route to fulfil their goal.
They applied to Kerala Startup Mission in 2015, after reading a news report about the facility. It took them three years to cross all the procedural hurdles and clinch a berth. In December 2018, they entered its Incubation Progamme at Technopark Thiruvananthapuram, with an initial grant of Rs100,000.
“We always look at the team first and the fire they have,” says Arun G., Assistant Manager at the Incubation Centre. “Only then do we look at the idea. The team at Daad are passionate about their cause.”
What’s in store?
The trio have broken many stereotypes through their lives and Daad. They’ve faced a number of difficulties in leading a fully active life, from the general public’s insensitive attitude to its complete lack of awareness and empathy.
They have overcome all these and reached a stage where they are a step away from realising their dream. Perhaps what they now need is a deaf angel investor, or at least an investor who is not deaf to their passion.
