The National Susan B. Anthony Museum and House is partnering with Rochester-based startup Sign-Speak to provide on-demand AI-powered American Sign Language interpretation for visitors. This marks the first museum collaboration for the AI platform and addresses a significant accessibility gap in Rochester, which has one of the world’s largest deaf populations per capita.
Why this matters: The partnership aligns with the museum’s mission to broaden conversations about civil rights and inclusion, making historical narratives accessible to previously underserved visitors while showcasing how AI can bridge communication barriers.
How it works: Visitors will scan a QR code to access Sign-Speak’s AI platform, which offers multiple interpretation features.
- The system provides voice recognition and closed captioning for basic accessibility needs.
- Sign language recognition allows users to sign into the platform and receive responses.
- An AI avatar serves as a digital signing interpreter for real-time communication.
- Video remote interpreting (VRI) connects users with human interpreters when needed for complex situations.
The founder’s story: Nikolas Kelly, Sign-Speak’s deaf owner and chief product officer, developed the idea while studying at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology.
- “I had noticed at that time that voice recognition technology had propagated, become ubiquitous, but no sign language technology existed that allowed me to express myself in my preferred language of sign language, at any time, to communicate with hearing people,” Kelly said.
- The platform aims to provide independence when last-minute interpretation is needed and human interpreters aren’t available.
Community-centered development: Kelly emphasizes the importance of involving the deaf community throughout the AI development process.
- “Anywhere where AI is used, for example, for application development for disabled communities, I think that it’s important to emphasize inclusion of members of that community, of that disabled community, in the development process,” he said.
What’s next: Museum staff will receive Sign-Speak training next Wednesday, with the platform rolling out to visitors shortly after the training is completed.
The bigger picture: Museum director Deborah Hughes connects this accessibility initiative to broader contemporary civil rights questions, noting parallels between Anthony’s era and today’s debates about “humanity, about people within the borders of the United States: What civil rights do they have? Who gets to participate in systems of justice?”
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