NSF INCLUDES Planning Grant: Cultivating Research and Equity in Sign-related Technology

这项NSF包括计划拨款由NSF纳入全国工程和科学领域未被充分代表的发现者的学习社区(NSF Includes)资助，这是一项综合性的全国性倡议，旨在通过关注多样性、包容性和扩大对STEM的参与来加强美国在发现和创新方面的领导地位。这笔规划赠款的目标是启动一个合作网络，重点是增加聋人和重听人(D/HH)参与手语相关技术开发的机会。许多研究项目将尖端技术应用于手语翻译、手语教学或手语识别。这些项目包括手语化身、虚拟/增强现实手语学习、用于手语的手势识别、用于手语识别的机器学习、用于手语翻译的可穿戴传感器等。虽然这些技术的潜力很大，但需要更多的包容和资源共享。该项目通过建立和支持研究人员和行业专业人员组成的网络来实现这些目标，这些研究人员和行业专业人员对与标志相关的技术感兴趣，并就该网络如何帮助建立卓有成效的合作达成了共同的愿景。这项工作增加了D/HH个人在实地的包容性，并促进了希望在这一领域工作的年轻D/HH学生的发展。在这个项目中，建立了一个名为培养与符号相关技术的研究和公平(CREST)的网络，举办了一个研讨会来启动该网络，并为网络成员之间的合作和交流提供了资源。讲习班将在利益攸关方之间形成共同愿景，并发起和加强伙伴关系。该网络的活动将有双向的好处：1)从事手语相关技术的手语/手语研究人员和学生能够获得新技术的经验，并发展他们可能尚未拥有的STEM技能；2)具有开发尖端手语相关技术的技术能力的研究人员受益于扩大他们的网络，将那些已经是手语专家及其带来的独特挑战的人包括在内：手语用户和手语/手语研究人员。CREST网络增加了在所有阶段都使用D/HH输入开发与手语相关的技术的机会，这意味着这些技术将更有可能造福于将手语作为主要交流形式的人。它允许一个社区围绕一个快速变化的领域发展，这有可能为聋人个人和使用手语的社区带来巨大好处。两项活动，即视频和博客和帖子的贡献，将加深CREST网络与NSF之间的联系，包括现有的国家网络，CREST网络将为国家网络带来新的人。这项工作将使D/HH的学生、工作人员和研究人员受益，以及可能受到正在开发的技术影响的更广泛的社区。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This NSF INCLUDES planning grant is funded by NSF Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (NSF INCLUDES), a comprehensive national initiative to enhance U.S. leadership in discoveries and innovations by focusing on diversity, inclusion and broadening participation in STEM at scale. The goal of this planning grant is to initiate a collaborative network focused on increasing the inclusion of deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HH) individuals in the development of sign-related technologies. Many research projects use cutting-edge technologies applied to sign language translation, sign language teaching, or sign recognition. These projects include signing avatars, virtual/augmented reality sign language learning, gesture recognition for sign language, machine learning for sign recognition, wearable sensors for sign translation, and more. While the potential for these technologies is great, more inclusion and resource-sharing is needed. This project addresses these goals through building and supporting a network of researchers and industry professionals who have interest in sign-related technologies and share a vision for how the network can help build fruitful collaborations. This work increases the inclusion of D/HH individuals in the field and fosters the development of young D/HH students who wish to work in this area.In this project, a network called Cultivating Research and Equity in Sign-Related Technologies (CREST) is established, a workshop is hosted to launch the network, and resources are provided for collaboration and communication among network members. The workshop will develop the shared vision among stakeholders and initiate and strengthen partnerships. Activities of the network will have a two-way benefit: 1) D/HH researchers and students who are working on sign-related technologies are able to gain experience with new technologies and develop STEM skills they may not already possess; 2) Researchers with the technological capacity to develop cutting-edge sign-related technology benefit from expanding their networks to include those who are already experts in sign languages and the unique challenges they present: sign language users and D/HH researchers. The CREST network increases the chances that sign-related technologies will be developed with D/HH input at all stages, meaning these technologies will be more likely to benefit people who use sign languages as a primary form of communication. It allows for the growth of a community around a rapidly changing field which has the potential to reap great benefits for deaf individuals and communities of people who use sign language. Two activities, contribution of videos and of blogs and posts, will deepen the connection between the CREST network and the NSF INCLUDES National Network that exists already, and the CREST network will bring new people to the National Network. This work will benefit D/HH students, staff, and researchers who are part of the network, as well as the broader communities which may be affected by the technologies in development.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.