MEGAN COX’S ‘SONIC BOOMERS’ BREAKS THE SONIC BARRIER WITH WORDS
8-year-old Luna is the only deaf student in her class. She wants nothing more than to impress the class with her ambition of becoming an astronaut.
8-year-old Luna is the only deaf student in her class. Her eyes sparkle while she looks at the Sonic Boomers ‘Star Of The Week’ board. Luna’s heart bursts with desire and hope, as she wants nothing more than to impress the class with her ambition of becoming an astronaut.
“Being deaf shouldn't stop you,” Luna’s mum often reminds her. But school days are exhausting; most days, Luna struggles to understand her teacher.
“I can’t keep asking the teacher to slow down – everyone will think I’m stupid,” Luna thinks. If only Luna could understand the conversations, catch every word and every detail, and feel supported and confident in herself. Why should she have to work harder than everyone else? Maybe today will be different, maybe today her future will be unlocked...
In mainstream education, fewer than half of all deaf children reach the expected standard in Key Stage 2 English and Maths SATs, compared to three-quarters of other children. For some, it could take 21 years to catch up with their hearing peers (NDCS); in later life, deaf people are four times more likely to be unemployed.
Megan’s animation showcases live captions, which uses speech-to-text software to accurately convert speech into written text, and displays it in real-time using AI technology. It is free, readily available and easy to use on SMART Boards and tablet devices.
To demonstrate the real-life barriers that deaf children experience in education, Megan’s animation uses creative storytelling — evoking emotion, encouraging audiences to start conversations and spread awareness about live captions.
Live captions help close the gap. The animation aims to empower deaf children, and help them believe in themselves like Luna. It tackles the stigma that deaf people are limited, and shows instead that all children can achieve their dreams.
Sound Waves Foundation (SWF) is a charity founded by two mothers – each with deaf children of their own – who recognised that deaf children’s struggles at school come from a lack of understanding and technological support. ‘Action for Captions’ is a pioneering project created by SWF that aims to make education more accessible for deaf children in every school, college and university nationwide. With the written word running alongside the spoken word and visual content, children can utilise their multiple senses to the best of their abilities, improving literacy in the long term.
Visit the Sound Waves Foundation website to view the full video.
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DPS—SIP—EXPO—2022 // DPS self-initiated projects (SIPs) have been an opportunity for UAL LCC London DPS students to express themselves via their personal projects and wider creative endeavours over the course of their DPS year.
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Email Megan Cox for more info about the project