Avaluations of free access applications of mobile phones for hearing impaired people

Assistive technology is an interdisciplinary area contemplated by health, engineering and computer science, aiming to generate means that allow social insertion and improvement of the quality of life of people with disabilities. Disability can be defined as any loss or abnormality of a structure or psychological, physiological or anatomical function that generates inability to perform activity, within the standard considered normal for humans. In the specific case of hearing impairment, this represents a bilateral loss, partial or total, of forty-one decibels (dB) or more, calibrated by audiogram in the frequencies of 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz e 3000 Hz, being one of the most common disabilities in Brazil, affecting about 5.2% of the population. The advances promoted by assistive technology has been decreasing the difficulties faced by this part of the population due to the emergence of technologies embedded in cell phones that provide mobility and communication with other people. This article aims to present the importance and functioning of an application (app) created by the company Hand Talk, founded in 2012, to enable communication between people with severe hearing loss or between these people with other hearing people. This app is easy to use and works as a text and voice translator for Libras (the Brazilian sign language), through a 3D interpreter, and can be used even inside the classroom, facilitating learning and communication between student and teacher, thus reducing the barriers imposed by hearing impairment. In anevaluationranging from 0 to 5, the app has 4.6 stars in the Play Store platform and may also be useful for older people who already have significant hearing loss and are familiar with sign language.