The deaf and hard of hearing community has long struggled with poor literacy skills, with median literacy rates of deaf high school graduates stuck at a fourth-grade level since the early 20th century. However, Illinois-based startup ASL Aspire is working to change this narrative with its innovative game-based approach to STEM education.

Founded in 2022, ASL Aspire is tackling the significant obstacle faced by deaf students in learning STEM concepts, which are often limited in standard American Sign Language (ASL) vocabulary. The startup's solution involves working with deaf scientists and mathematicians to standardize STEM-based vocabulary in ASL, creating curricula for teachers to integrate into their existing lesson plans.

The team, comprising co-founder and COO Ayesha Kazi and co-founder Mona Jawad, who is working on her doctorate in speech and hearing science at the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, is targeting middle schoolers initially, but plans to create curricula for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Notably, high school students have also benefited from the platform, as many are behind their hearing peers.

Jawad's inspiration for the company came from her work in a lab with deaf scientists, where she identified the significant gap in STEM language. With only around 0.1% of deaf or hard of hearing individuals in STEM fields, despite making up around 10% of the American population, Jawad saw an opportunity to bridge this gap.

Kazi, who was studying computer science at the time, joined Jawad in starting the company, leveraging the university's backing to fund pilots and prototypes of their web app and integrate it into local schools. This early support proved crucial, allowing the startup to refine its approach and establish a presence in the school system from the outset.

In 2023, ASL Aspire completed pilots with five schools, reaching around 200 students, mainly in California. The startup is now focused on selling its platform directly to school districts, a challenging process due to the short budget window, typically from January to March. To overcome this hurdle, ASL Aspire is timing its outreach to ensure it presents its value proposition to school decision-makers before the budget window opens.

The startup has secured $400,000 in research grant money and is collaborating with educational institutions like the Houston Space Center and the St. Louis Zoo. Looking ahead, ASL Aspire plans to target deaf residential schools in Fremont and Riverside next year, pending successful budget conversations. The team also envisions expanding its game-based learning approach beyond STEM to encompass all subjects.

Kazi emphasized the significance of ASL Aspire's mission, stating, "It's an uphill battle, but it's worth it at the end, because you're not just helping one kid … like at the end of the day, I'm gonna get 2,000 students who will be able to use our app." With its innovative approach and commitment to addressing the literacy gap in the deaf community, ASL Aspire is poised to make a lasting impact on the lives of deaf and hard of hearing students.