User:Arunasank/sandbox
Project idea[edit]
Note: Not sure if this should go be raised in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Council/Proposals
What is the problem you're trying to solve?[edit]
- Most people who are hearing impaired cannot read and write very fast, because they know the world of words, primarily from sight. Their knowledge of words is more about how a word looks, more than how it sounds or how it is spoken. This makes a project like Wikipedia pretty inaccessible to them.
- The hearing impaired have their own language - the sign language. They speak very fluently in this language, and understand each other easily.
Build a community that can translate Wikipedia articles to sign language, so we can make the knowledge on Wikipedia rich and diverse from a new perspective. Thereby, make Wikipedia more accessible to the hearing impaired.
What is your solution?[edit]
This proposal aims at thinking about translating Wikipedia, into sign language to make it more accessible for the hearing impaired, thereby creating:
- A means for the hearing impaired to access the sum total of all of humanity's knowledge.
- A means for the hearing impaired to contribute in making the knowledge on Wikipedia richer and more diverse.
- Simultaneously, building a community of the hearing impaired who can help translate Wikipedia articles to sign language and be able to access the plethora of opportunities that are available to the Wikipedia community.
Project goals[edit]
Explain what are you trying to accomplish with this project, or what do you expect will change as a result of this grant.
- Have more people who are hearing impaired contribute to, and use, Wikipedia
- Build bridges between hearing and hearing-impaired Wikipedians, thereby creating a small movement to build bridges between the hearing and the hearing impaired.
- Improve accessibility to Wikipedia and accessibility to sign language.
Project plan[edit]
Activities[edit]
Build a strong community of volunteers who can sign at level A[edit]
1. Communities we intend to approach in this regard are:
- The Wikipedia community - The largest community of people interested in improving access to knowledge, and who can best help us communicate with other communities in the Wiki space.
- The free software community, particularly in Bangalore - An obvious choice because of the sizeable student population it has and its local presence in the cities we are based in.
- Our circle of friends, both hearing impaired, and those who have been involved in training the hearing impaired since their opinions and ideas in the growth of this project are invaluable because of the first hand nature of their experience.
2. We intend to train these volunteers very well in two parts:
- The Wikipedia community and the nature of Wikipedia contributions
- The nature of sign language
Tasks involved in finding volunteers
- Write emails to different mailing lists to spread the word about this project.
- Figure out a comprehensive application process for finding volunteers who can be part of this process, since we want the foundation of this project to be a concrete platform that spawns stronger offshoot communities. How these spawned communities grow and the ideas they bring will be useful to create a diaspora that is interested in making knowledge accessible to the hearing impaired.
Workshops and awareness[edit]
1. Start conducting workshops on sign language all over the country to:
- Create awareness among Wikipedia volunteers in India and abroad about the nature of this exercise, and to make them sensitive to the nature of this exercise.
- Help build a community of people who can continue to conduct workshops and encourage people to sign.
2. To conduct these workshops we will:
- Find colleges and universities that teach the hearing impaired.
- Reach out to these organisations and explain the nature of this exercise.
- Figure out the nature of deliverables from each workshop, and ways to measure progress.
3. Figure out ways for these communities to stay in touch, to provide support and aid progress
- Traditional mailing lists?
- Other means of communication.
Budget[edit]
TBD
Community engagement[edit]
Collaborate with institutes that provide speech and hearing therapy and Wikipedians and folks interested in FOSS. We intend to reach out to communities through mailing lists and through our personal networks.
Sustainability[edit]
Train people involved in this project to translate Wikipedia to sign language and build a comprehensive workshop training plan that can be used by folks interested in carrying this forward.
Measures of success[edit]
A number of Wikipedia articles translated to sign language, more diversity in the Wikipedia community.
Get involved[edit]
Participants[edit]
Community notification[edit]
Please paste links below to where relevant communities have been notified of your proposal, and to any other relevant community discussions. Need notification tips?
Endorsements[edit]
Do you think this project should be selected for a Project Grant? Please add your name and rationale for endorsing this project below! (Other constructive feedback is welcome on the discussion page).