At the request of parents with hearing impaired children 8D developed together with Pento Audiologisch Centrum a serious game on sign language. In the colourful underwater world of Handlantis you play the caregiver of a fish with a hearing impairment. This way, you get to know ‘Dutch with Signs’ in a low-threshold manner.
Johan can tell you more about it!
You want to learn a new language, but after a few days of intensive practice you tend to give up. Learning a language is a time-consuming and difficult process. In addition, the teaching material is often dry or boring. This problem also occurs when learning Dutch with Signs.
In Dutch with Signs, you talk to your child and support key words with gestures. Family, friends and other important people around a hearing-impaired child sometimes need an extra push to learn this mode of communication. The serious game Handlantis supports this.
ApproachHandlantis originated from the best situation imaginable, namely from the target group itself. A parent with a child with hearing difficulties knocked on our door asking if gaming could help in learning Dutch with Signs. Of course we were eager to take up this challenge! We sought collaboration with the experts at Pento Audiological Center and set to work on a creative concept. What if the game took place in a world where sound sounds completely different? The underwater world of Handlantis was born.
“Als nieuwe ouder komt er veel op je af en dan hoor je ook nog eens dat je gebaren zou kunnen leren. Met de game kan je alvast een voorproefje nemen en zien hoe leuk het kan zijn om te gebaren.”
Pento Audiologisch Centrum Friesland
ResultsRead more about: Serious games in Healthcare
Handlantis offers the player a safe environment where he or she can enjoy learning gestures. As a mermaid, you help your buddy (with CI implant) clean up the room. To get this done, you perform situation-related gestures in front of a webcam. Each gesture is carefully chosen by professionals so that the gestures fit well with the everyday life of a hearing-impaired or deaf child.
The game allows parents (and babysitters, grandparents or neighbors) to practice gestures at their own pace. In addition, the gestures are packaged in a visual and fun story and the player is tested regularly for refreshment. Although the sign game does not replace a sign course, it is an excellent introduction for that.
Curious? Handlantis is available via Pento Audiologisch Centrum.
Johan likes to think along!
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