For many years, insufficient literacy skills have had a profound effect on the deaf and hard of hearing community. The National Center for Special Education Research reports that the median literacy levels for deaf individuals graduating high school have remained stagnant at a fourth-grade level since the early 20th century. The integration of STEM concepts, which feature a restricted vocabulary in standard American Sign Language (ASL), adds another layer of difficulty for deaf students aiming for academic achievement.
ASL Aspire, a startup based in Illinois that presented its innovations at TechCrunch Disrupt’s Startup Battlefield 200, seeks to tackle this challenge through a gamified approach to STEM education.
The team behind ASL Aspire partners with deaf scientists and mathematicians to standardize STEM vocabulary in ASL, crafting curricula that educators can easily weave into their current lesson plans.
Founded in 2022, ASL Aspire primarily targets middle school students while also developing curricula for learners from kindergarten through 12th grade. Co-founder and COO Ayesha Kazi noted that high school students are also reaping the benefits of the platform, as many work to catch up with their hearing peers.
Kazi revealed to TechCrunch that her co-founder, Mona Jawad, came up with the business concept during their time studying at the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, where Jawad is pursuing a doctorate in speech and hearing science.
“[Jawad] worked directly in a lab with deaf scientists and identified that the main gap in language was in the STEM field,” Kazi explained to TechCrunch. “About 10% of Americans are deaf or hard of hearing, yet only approximately 0.1% are engaged in STEM careers.”
During her research, Jawad encountered a wealth of studies on how to support deaf students in learning STEM topics but noticed a deficiency in efforts to apply those findings in practical, commercial contexts.
In 2021, she approached Kazi, who was pursuing a degree in computer science, about starting the company together. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, as Kazi reminisces, being merely a couple of 17-year-old freshmen with little understanding of what lay ahead.
Fortunately, their status as students provided university support, which funded pilot initiatives and prototypes for their web application, allowing for the blending of technology and curricula in local educational settings.
“This turned out to be a happy accident, as we were able to connect with the school system right from the get-go,” Kazi noted.
In 2023, ASL Aspire wrapped up pilot programs in five schools, positively affecting around 200 students, primarily in California. The startup intends to engage directly with school districts to widen its impact, which can often be a challenging sales endeavor.
“The window for school budgets is narrow, typically from January to March, making it difficult to forge relationships just when the opportunity arises,” Kazi explained, stressing the need for ASL Aspire to plan outreach efficiently to showcase their value to school decision-makers ahead of this period.
Having acquired $400,000 in research grants, the startup is also forming partnerships with various educational institutions, including the Houston Space Center and the St. Louis Zoo, according to Kazi.
Looking ahead to next year, ASL Aspire intends to focus on deaf residential schools in Fremont and Riverside, depending on the success of budget negotiations. Kazi is also optimistic about extending their game-based learning methods beyond STEM subjects to encompass all facets of education in the future.
“This is a challenging road, but the rewards are significant, because we are not just helping one student — we are influencing the educational journeys of thousands,” Kazi emphasized.
