App sign of the times
An app has been created on Leeside to help improve the understanding of the Irish sign language.
Ugonna Duru, a student at Ashton Secondary School in Ballintemple, created the app called Lamhalingo which is a teacher-student learning service that specialises in ‘in class’ learning with special tools that help teach Irish sign language, something the Cork student says is vital for enhanced awareness of Ireland’s deaf community.
Ugonna said the fact that only 0.1 per cent of Ireland’s population can speak sign language means there are significant challenges in everyday life for the 5,000 strong deaf community living here. She hopes Lamhalingo will give students and teachers a way to learn Irish sign language in school, specifically as a new module in Transition Year.
Reflecting on her research, Ugonna said: “With the support of Teen-Turn, I developed a passion for science and technology. I used my new skills to improve awareness of Ireland’s deaf community.”
Ugonna is a participant in Teen-Turn, a mentoring program for female students supported by Hays Recruiting.
“During my time with Teen-Turn, I came to appreciate the different career choices in the area of STEM. I also learned how to persevere, and I put this to use while developing my app to teach Irish sign language, Lamhalingo.”
She added: “My Teen-Turn mentors taught me how to block-code as well as how to present a presentation to judges. My learnings during this project will be invaluable for me as I continue my education and look to my future.”
Since its foundation five years ago Teen-Turn has worked with over 700 girls to tackle the low number of women from underserved areas and communities who are attaining third level qualifications in STEM.
Teen-Turn is taking part in Technovation in 2021, a programme that challenges girls in secondary level education to build a business plan and mobile app that will address a community problem. Girls taking part will be supported through this process and taking part is free of charge. Those interested should visit teen-turn.com or email contact@teen-turn.com.