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Good practice Imported

StorySign: AI Sign-Language Storybook App for Deaf Children

United Kingdom · London · See the United Kingdom profile · See the London profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 68% 56/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

A free AI/AR app that translates children's storybooks into sign language via an animated avatar, letting Deaf children and hearing parents read together. Developed by Huawei, Aardman Animations and the European Union of the Deaf, live since Dec 2018 in 15 sign languages.

50,000+
Downloads
128 million
In-app film views
£375,000
Donation to deaf-literacy projects
15
Sign languages supported (as of latest update)
4 Gold, 1 Silver, 2 Bronze
Cannes Lions won (2019) (2019)
StorySign: AI Sign-Language Storybook App for Deaf Children

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Huawei / Aardman Animations / European Union of the Deaf / British Deaf Association
Period
December 2018 - present
Keywords
assistive technology, AI/AR, sign language, Deaf accessibility, early literacy, disability inclusion

Context

Many Deaf children are excluded from storytime because their hearing parents do not know sign language. StorySign was created to let Deaf children and hearing families read together despite that barrier.

Objectives

Use AI and augmented reality so an animated avatar can sign a storybook's text back to the reader, giving Deaf children and their hearing parents a shared reading experience.

Activities

The AI recognises text on a book page and an animated avatar named "Star" signs the story. Launched 4 December 2018 in 10 European markets and 10 sign languages (British, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Irish, Belgian Flemish and Swiss-German Sign Language), the app was developed by Huawei with Aardman Animations, agency FCB Inferno, the European Union of the Deaf (EUD) and the British Deaf Association, with content licensed from Penguin Random House. It has since expanded to 15 sign languages including ASL, BSL and Auslan, and continued to receive updates as of 2024.

Results

Huawei self-reported (via Marketing Week) over 50,000 downloads, 128 million in-app film views and a £375,000 donation to deaf-literacy projects. StorySign won 4 Gold, 1 Silver and 2 Bronze Lions at Cannes Lions 2019, independently reported by ad trade press, and independent outlets (RI Global, Tech Xplore) corroborate its launch and mechanics.

Conclusions

These engagement figures are company-reported, not independently audited, and no independent academic evaluation of reading or comprehension outcomes was located. Content is also limited to a curated set of licensed titles rather than the full universe of children's books, and lead sponsor Huawei is a state-linked telecom firm - a relevant governance consideration when weighing the initiative's independence.

Implementation
Indicative cost
High (€500k–€5M) — No exact production budget given; a £375,000 donation to deaf-literacy projects plus a multi-partner production (major animation studio, ad agency, licensed publisher content, translation into 15 sign languages) implies a high-cost production for a free consumer app.
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — Launched 4 December 2018, expanded from 10 to 15 sign languages, and continued to receive updates as of 2024 - roughly six years of continuous operation.
Staffing & skills
Huawei (corporate sponsor), Aardman Animations (production), FCB Inferno (agency), European Union of the Deaf (EUD) and British Deaf Association (content/community partners), Penguin Random House (content licensing)

Conditions for success

  • Multi-stakeholder collaboration between Deaf-community organisations, an animation studio, an ad agency and a publisher
  • Free consumer app removing cost as a barrier to access
  • Continued content updates and language expansion (10 to 15 sign languages) sustaining relevance

Common failure modes

  • Content limited to a curated set of licensed titles rather than the full range of children's books
  • Huawei, as lead corporate sponsor, is a state-linked telecom firm - a relevant governance consideration for the initiative's independence

Where it fits

Governance type
corporate-sponsored, multi-NGO/publisher partnership
Scale
10+ European markets, 15 sign languages
Income level
high-income countries (initial European launch markets)

Commonly funded by

Own resources / municipal budget

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

Attachments

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