bold idea
Expand participation in digital learning for Deaf and hard of hearing students in Kenya and beyond by embedding real-time sign language avatars and accessibility data into educational platforms.
organization overview
Ona AI builds digital sign language avatars that integrate directly into online classrooms and learning platforms so Deaf and hard of hearing learners can access lessons in the language they understand. In service of its mission to ensure students with hearing impairments are not left behind amid the shift to digital learning, Ona AI’s technology translates spoken, written, and visual instructions into expressive sign language within the platforms students already use. Ona AI is also building an app to help address the gap in learning Kenyan Sign Language in various contexts and an accessibility-focused dataset capturing sign languages, speech variation, and disability communication patterns that are largely missing from global AI training data, enabling a future where digital learning systems are accessible from the start.
Personal Bio
Caleb Kioko is the founder and chief technology officer of Ona AI. Caleb’s path to this work emerged from his experience as a teacher in Kenyan schools, where he saw how easily capable learners are excluded when education systems assume everyone learns the same. These experiences shaped his commitment to redesign digital learning so accessibility is built into systems from the start. Drawing on his background in software engineering, he founded Ona AI to create assistive tools that allow learners with disabilities to engage with modern learning platforms. Caleb’s work has received international recognition, including from Prototypes for Humanity, the Stanford Healthcare Design Challenge, and the QS Reimagine Education Awards. He has also been honored as one of the Queen’s Commonwealth 100 Young Leaders and named a Halcyon Fellow.
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Organization Structure ?
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