Bala Murugan

As mobile phones increasingly incorporate assistive features, they offer more accessible options for communication and daily activities. However, understanding how these technologies are used in low- and middle-income countries, where specialised devices may be less available, is crucial.

Projects like Mobile as AT aare exploring how mobile phones can support people with hearing and visual impairments, promoting independence and inclusion. This research aims to assess the real-world impact of these technologies on users' lives.

Transcript: 

Hello everyone myself Bala Murugan and this is my sign name (BM in ASL).

I am studying in Adarsh college and completing my B.Com. I thank this platform for giving me this phone it is of high value. The main purpose for which I use the phone are live captions, as a deaf person live captions help me  understand what the speaker is trying to say while watching any kind of video. 

While I am in a meeting, if I have turned on live transcription on my phone, I can understand what the speaker is saying. This is a useful accessible feature. 

I can look up on useful things on internet. 

As a deaf person I am not good at texting. So, video calling feature helps me communicate conveniently and it is an accessible feature.  I am away from family  and I am still able to communicate with them through video calling. 

Also being the deaf member of a hearing family, phone helps me to communicate with them too.

Video description: Bala is using ASL to communicate. He is sitting against a white and black patterned wall while wearing a blue jumper.