Mobile App for Hearing-Impaired Children Won Gold Award in Web Accessibility Recognition Scheme 2014

Prof Albert Wong, Prof Tim Woo and Mr Kobe Lam (Research Assistant) of Electronic and Computer Engineering have developed the "Auditory and Speech Training App" for hearing-impaired children, which revolutionized existing paper-based auditory training tools with Android-based mobile app technologies. This mobile app facilitates convenient home training and provides better support to parents and teachers. The performance of children can be sent to therapists to evaluate their learning progress, and the parents or children can also share their improvement progress in social media networks.

The app received Gold Award in the Web Accessibility Recognition Scheme 2014 on 14 April.

The recognition scheme is co-organised by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) and the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) since 2013. The scheme aims to recognize the enterprises and organizations for adopting effective designs in website and mobile apps to facilitate access by everyone, including persons with disabilities.

This digital-inclusion project was sponsored by OGCIO, under the Sponsorship Scheme on Development of Digital Inclusion Mobile Applications. The project was developed in collaboration with the Hong Kong Society for the Deaf. The app has already been launched and free for download in Google Play (keyword: “精靈小耳朵”).