Augmented Reality for the Literacy Development of Deaf Children: A Preliminary Investigation

This paper reports the on-going research on the development of an Augmented Reality (AR) application for the literacy development of hard of hearing children, particularly deaf children that rely on Arabic Sign Language (ArSL). Preliminary studies were conducted to determine the visual needs of deaf Arabic learners when reading using three different instruments and targets: interviews with teachers, observation of deaf children, and questionnaire from their parents. Results from teachers and parents indicate a preference for multiple resources, primarily ArSL, including photos and videos. Students, on the other hand, performed better with finger-spelling and poorly in ArSL. This disconnect between both achievements highlights the importance of considering various perspectives in the development of AR that targets literacy in younger children.