This Kenyan App Helps Break Down Communication Barriers for People with Hearing Impairments

When 42-year-old Luke Muleka Kizito was a young boy, he regularly experienced how difficult his older sister’s invisible hearing impairment was for her.

“It was a challenge for my sister; it was also a challenge for me because I had no knowledge of Kenyan sign language at the time, considering I was a young boy. Most times, my sister was left out of things like watching TV programmes,” he shared.

Years later, that experience led Kizito to open a television station catering to people with hearing impairments.

The broadcast channel, Signs TV, is among the 50 top solutions worldwide, as ranked by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and was featured in the 2019 Youth Solutions Report.

“I have 43 employees. 17 of them have disabilities. Some are deaf or blind, and some have albinism,” Kizito explained.

His journey, however, did not stop there. Recognising the need for translation for some of the sign language on his station, Kizito decided he needed a translation app. The result: assistALL.

“Through Signs TV, we created this app to enable those with hearing impairments and other disabilities to know what is happening around them, across the country and the globe, by translating news and other stories for them,” he explained.

Kizito revealed that he came up with the app at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to assist those with hearing impairments in communicating with government officers, organizations, and fellow Kenyans.

“You see, it was difficult for both those with hearing impairments and those who hear to communicate because both of them were in masks. And given the chaos of that time, communication was key,” Kizito said.

The app also helped with communications between his staff at the station.

“assistALL is meant to bridge the communication gap between service providers, businesses, and clients with hearing impairments,” Kizito explained.

To use the assistALL app, any user requiring an interpreter simply logs in and requests an interpreter for his or her service. Once connected, the user is linked to a sign language interpreter who provides his or her interpretation services for 30 Kenyan shillings (about 0.20 United States dollars) per minute. Interpreters call via video call and have profiles with ratings and reviews.

Edna Kaindi, a journalist with hearing impairments, said the app has helped to break down communication barriers between those with hearing impairments and those with normal hearing.

“This application actually made it easier for me to communicate with service providers, especially taxi cab drivers. However, we can make it much easier by ensuring there are more interpreters signed in,” Kaindi said.

Sharon Wambui, a sign language interpreter, described hearing impairment as unique in that it is not immediately obvious that someone has it.

“Did you know that the biggest challenge with hearing impairment is that it is an invisible disability? You wouldn’t know unless you attempt to communicate,” Wambui explained.

According to Wambui, this challenge creates a barrier for the community of people with hearing impairments when it comes to accessing services.

Wambui gave an example of the recently concluded African Climate Change Summit, where sign language interpreters faced a number of difficulties.

“Three lessons I have learned from the Africa Climate Summit as a sign language interpreter are that I must do my homework. As the larger public struggled to understand carbon credits, carbon markets, carbon sinks, and other technical terms, so did sign language interpreters. While the topic of climate change and the technical terminologies are not new, climate discussions are not common in day-to-day conversation. That is why we needed to do our homework. Scroll through as many information resources as possible to ensure that when interpreting, we are passing on accurate information to our audience,” Wambui observed.

Despite these challenges, Wambui appreciated the efforts of inclusivity taking place in Africa, noting that during the summit they had over 30 interpreters to cater for the community of people with hearing impairments so that no one was left behind.

“That we had more than 30 sign language interpreters is a significant step in the inclusion of the community of people with hearing impairments in high-level forums and in an area that has a direct impact on them,” she added.

She further noted that sign language translation can be revolutionized with inventions like the assistALL mobile app.

Rosemary Munyendo, principal of Saint Kizito’s Litein Girls Secondary School for those with hearing impairments, said the app was a breakthrough technology for parents needing to urgently communicate with children when specific situations arise.

“We have difficulties at school, especially when reporting, visiting, and at the end of term, because parents do not know what their children want,” Munyendo stated.

She explained that at those times, teachers often have to stand in as interpreters when parents want to communicate with their children.

“A parent would come to school and ask teachers to talk to their children to establish how they feel or what they want. I believe this app will go a long way in ensuring parents whose children have hearing impairments can communicate,” she added.

The 2019 Kenya National Population Census indicated that there were 153,381 people with hearing impairments aged above 5 years old in Kenya. However, the app is also designed for deaf tourists and business people visiting the country.

“Since launching the app back in 2022, we have worked with taxi providers and hoteliers to ensure there is communication between those with hearing impairments and those with normal hearing,” Kizito stated, adding that the assistALL app has led to better communication in many work environments.

Story and Photo Credit: Lynn Nyigothi for bird story agency