ASL Aspire

ASL Aspire

ASL Aspire

ASL Aspire is an online educational platform that increases STEM literacy to K-12 deaf and hard of hearing students and their teachers through games.

Champaign, IL, USA

USA

For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models

Until the 1970s, sign language was banned in higher education and scientific communities, leaving lasting gaps in STEM access for Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students. Many STEM terms still do not exist in American Sign Language (ASL), and while Deaf linguists are creating new signs, they rarely reach classrooms. Without a standardized deaf education curriculum, teachers must either integrate lessons on their own or omit these terms, leaving students without the language access needed to fully engage with STEM concepts. The impact is staggering. Globally, over 466 million DHH individuals face barriers to accessing STEM. In the US, over 48 million Americans are DHH, yet only 0.8% of STEM degree holders identify as such. This underrepresentation is rooted in many barriers, including limited early access to language. Language deprivation in DHH children impairs executive function, behavior regulation, and academic success. As a result, K–12 DHH students consistently score below national averages in math and science, creating a negative pipeline that extends into the workforce. Only 53.3% of DHH adults are employed, compared to 75.8% of hearing individuals. In rural communities, where interpreter access is scarce, these disparities are even more pronounced.

ASL Aspire is an online educational platform that teaches STEM education for K-12 deaf and hard of hearing students and their teachers. We are providing a seamlessly integrable curriculum that aligns with national core standards and is created in collaboration with deaf professionals who are actively developing new signs. Our interactive mini-games enable students to practice the signs while having fun, and our machine-learning technology enables them to validate signs in front of their webcam. A demo of our games can be found here: https://youtu.be/dSs5Ht2iTTA With our user-friendly dashboard, teachers can track student progress and identify areas for intervention, making in-class instruction easier. A demo of our teacher dashboard can be found here: https://youtu.be/W9EAkcWJmlY

ASL Aspire serves deaf and hard of hearing K–12 students and their teachers, a population that has been historically underserved in STEM education. Deaf students face systemic barriers in accessing STEM content: many scientific concepts do not have existing American Sign Language (ASL) signs, leaving teachers without the tools to explain core lessons, and students without the opportunity to fully grasp or engage with them. This gap contributes to the severe underrepresentation of deaf individuals in STEM careers, where they make up only 0.01% of the workforce. Our platform addresses these challenges by providing a standards-aligned STEM curriculum developed in partnership with Deaf scientists and educators. Lessons are taught directly in ASL, incorporating interactive mini-games that build mastery, while new scientific signs are created and introduced to expand academic language. Teachers benefit from a user-friendly dashboard that tracks student progress and helps them target interventions, making classroom instruction more effective and inclusive. Students see Deaf role models leading lessons, reinforcing both identity and possibility in STEM pathways. By equipping teachers with accessible tools and students with meaningful representation, ASL Aspire is transforming STEM learning into a space where deaf students can thrive and envision futures in science and technology.