Miluga

Dere wan boy.

Wan dei, durin im second year of high school, im go long wan smol hilltop shop long wan errand. It was wan smol shop run by wan elderly couple. Inside, dere was wan girl of similar age wey seem to be lookin for someting, but di boy no pay much attention an try buy wetin im need an leave.

At dat moment, di shop owner, wan elderly lady, call di boy over. She hand im wan smol piece of paper an ask im to read wetin dey written on it.

Di note get ‘Miluga’ written on it.

Di boy tink of wan word im fit guess. Im fit only tink of ‘flour’ an suggest say e fit be flour. Di lady was grateful, an di boy return home.

But, im keep tinkin about it. ‘Di shop owner probably know how to read…’

Di next day, di boy go back to di shop.

“Di ‘Miluga’ wey dey written on di note wey you show me yesterday, no be dat girl wey dey near di entrance write am?”

Di lady was surprised an ask how im know. Di girl get wan disability wey make verbal communication difficult. She write ‘Miluga’ on di paper because she no fit communicate to buy wan bag of flour.

Dat day, di boy make up im mind. If im ever find imself in position to help someone, im go first help dose wey dey physically challenged or lack educational opportunities, dose wey dey socially vulnerable.

[Di Korean Today] ‘Miluga’ — A story wey begin from wan boy’s memory © Di Korean Today Editorial

35 Years Later

35 years don pass. Di boy found SmileStory Inc. for South Korea for 2009 an establish WIA (World Certification Industry Association) for Estonia for 2018. With di intention of benefitting di world with di most advanced technology of humanity, im don dey create technology to keep dat promise.

WIA Talk — A universal sign language platform wey allow communication with anyone using a single 3D sign language, without di need to learn different sign languages (ASL, KSL, BSL…) for each country. An WIA Braille (wiabraille.com) — A universal braille system based on IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) wey allow reading in 7,000 languages once learned. For di deaf, dere dey WIA Talk, an for di blind, dere dey WIA Braille. When dese two meet, di deaf an blind fit communicate directly without interpreter. Dis don never happen anywhere yet.

Di technology dey ready. Di 3D avatar dey show sign language, dey move lip-sync, an dey express emotions. But for dis avatar to move more naturally — data of actual human hand movements dey needed.

E take 35 years. During dat time, dere must don be someone wey turn away without fit buy wan bag of flour. If e don fast, e fit don reach one more person sooner.

Now, volunteers dey recruited simultaneously from 254 language regions.

[Di Korean Today] WIA Talk 3D Sign Language Volunteer Program Guide © Di Korean Today Editorial

How to Participate in Volunteering

You fit do am from home, with just wan web browser. No special skills or sign language experience dey required.

Videos Are Not Saved — Only Numbers Remain

Dis na di most frequently asked question. No be di video saved when filming with wan webcam?

Video files no dey saved. Our proprietary technology dey extract two things in real-time.

Only dese numbers dey saved. Your face image or video file no go remain on di server. Di number coordinates an facial expression values na di key data wey bring di 3D avatar to life, an dem dey sufficient.

Anyone Can Participate

[Di Korean Today] WIA Talk Volunteer Program Recruiting Simultaneously from 254 Language Regions Worldwide © Di Korean Today Editorial

Di Change Participation Brings

Di hand coordinate data wey you provide dey become di gestures of di 3D avatar. Dis avatar dey embedded in di e-books of WIA Books (wiabook.com), allowing di deaf to read books in sign language. Dis na someting wey don never exist anywhere for di world before.

But, dere be wan more thing wey you need to know about dis story.

Miluga — Di Name Wey Start from ‘Miluga’

Di girl wey wan buy flour but fit only write ‘Miluga’ on wan note. We no sabi her name. But dose three letters don now become di name of di accessibility program of WIA Books (wiabook.com) 35 years later.

Miluga — A program wey provide free access rights to all published books for UNHCR verified refugees, severely hearing-impaired, an severely visually impaired individuals.

Your participation dey directly reflected in di 3D sign language books of di Miluga program. When wan deaf reader open wan e-book, di 3D avatar dey show di book content in sign language — each gesture of dat avatar dey created from your data.

Application Guide

E dey okay if you no fit participate directly. Just spreading dis news to dose around you fit be great help. Sharing on social media or telling someone wey dey interested in sign language go dey appreciated.

“There was a girl wey wan buy flour but fit only write ‘Miluga’. Now, 35 years later, technology dey created wey allow people like her to read books, communicate, an connect with di world.”

#WIA_Talk  #3DSignLanguage  #Volunteer  #弘益人間  #Deaf  #SignLanguageBooks  #WIA_Book  #Miluga  #Refugees  #254Languages

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