ConnectHear organizes Pakistan’s first deaf-inclusive interpreted concert

ConnectHear is a technology startup bridging the gap between the deaf and the community, through a video-based and in-person sign language interpretation system. A Nest I/O Graduate and backed by Motwani Foundation, ConnectHear marked a major milestone towards their vision of inclusivity, last night, by bringing an initiative that was equally accessible to this marginalized individual of the society.

ConnectHear collaborated with Habib University (HU) to organize the first deaf-inclusive concert of Pakistan, that took place last night at the HU campus for the first graduating batch of the university. ConnectHear brought an innovation to the inclusive experience b providing their flagship in-person song interpretation for all the musical performances. HU Convocation’18 comprised of performances by Strings, HU Students, and JS Academy students who performed the national anthem in Pakistani Sign Language.

For the complete duration of the concert, ConnectHear’s interpreters made sure to invoke the sensation of being at a concert in the deaf audience by energetically interpreting all the songs. Assisted with external equipment such as lighting and vibration setups, the deaf audience was also enabled to visually and physically feel the music, allowing ConnectHear to ensure that they felt just as involved and excited as their fellow HU students.

The concert was free for all the deaf to attend and ConnectHear ensured that many of the numerous deaf schools across Pakistan including JS Academy and DeafReach get to be a part of this initiative. The event hosted over 300 deaf individuals and received heartwarming feedback from them.

The video clips of the concert trending on social media testify that ConnectHear has done a commendable job to ensure that the deaf does not feel limited or constrained due to their perceived disability and the society accepts them with equality.