On Lost in Translation, Found in Embeddings: Sign Language Translation and Alignment

This could be an interesting paper by Andrew Zisserman and his team!

How many people are really deaf? According to Google about 11 million Americans or 3.6% of the population.

Personally, every time I see a human sign language interpreter next to e.g. a politician in a video it distracts me and drives me nuts to watch them wildly gesticulating (maybe I suffer from ADHD or autism).

Hopefully, machine learning & AI can mediate here very soon so that these  gesticulations are only displayed to those viewers that are deaf or those viewers who enjoy watching those sign language interpreters.

From the abstract:

"Our aim is to develop a unified model for sign language understanding, that performs sign language translation (SLT) and sign-subtitle alignment (SSA). Together, these two tasks enable the conversion of continuous signing videos into spoken language text and also the temporal alignment of signing with subtitles -- both essential for practical communication, large-scale corpus construction, and educational applications.
To achieve this, our approach is built upon three components:
(i) a lightweight visual backbone that captures manual and non-manual cues from human keypoints and lip-region images while preserving signer privacy;
(ii) a Sliding Perceiver mapping network that aggregates consecutive visual features into word-level embeddings to bridge the vision-text gap; and
(iii) a multi-task scalable training strategy that jointly optimises SLT and SSA, reinforcing both linguistic and temporal alignment.
To promote cross-linguistic generalisation, we pretrain our model on large-scale sign-text corpora covering British Sign Language (BSL) and American Sign Language (ASL) from the BOBSL and YouTube-SL-25 datasets.
With this multilingual pretraining and strong model design, we achieve state-of-the-art results on the challenging BOBSL (BSL) dataset for both SLT and SSA. Our model also demonstrates robust zero-shot generalisation and finetuned SLT performance on How2Sign (ASL), highlighting the potential of scalable translation across different sign languages."

[2512.08040] Lost in Translation, Found in Embeddings: Sign Language Translation and Alignment

Figure 1. A unified sign language understanding model. Givensigning data, our model performs both SLT and SSA, guided by textual prompts. For both tasks, a 500-frame (20s at 25 fps) video is used as input.
In SLT mode, the model receives the sign video with frame-level timestamps specifying the region of interest (not shown for clarity), and generates a spoken language translation for that segment.

In SSA mode, the model takes the sign video, a target sentence along with its audio-aligned timestamps (if available),

and predicts the timestamps where the sentence is signed.

Lawsuit: Female Inmates Forced to Live with Trans-Identifying Males at Texas Special Needs Women’s Prison After Initial Court Win

As a female prisoner I would probably not be enthusiastic to share a shower or a prison cell etc. with a transgender woman. Trust but verify!

"Two female inmates at a federal prison for women with special needs in Fort Worth, Texas, saw a landmark early court win in November when a judge ordered transgender-identifying male inmates to be housed away from them following claims of sexual abuse. ..."

Exclusive — Lawsuit: Female Inmates Forced to Live with Trans-Identifying Males at Texas Special Needs Women’s Prison After Initial Court Win

Forced sterilization of women with disabilities in Europe

Very recommendable, but horrible! Unfortunately, the video does not address the forced sterilization of men with disabilities!

"In 12 EU countries, women with disabilities can still be sterilized without their consent." Germany too! Portugal, Belgium.

Apparently, sometimes the parents are behind this sterilization.

The Justice Department is suing Uber, alleging the ride-hailing giant and its drivers refused to serve hundreds of disabled passengers

Bad news for Uber! Shame on Uber!

"The complaint also said they imposed surcharges such as cleaning fees for service animal shedding and cancellation fees to riders it had denied service. The lawsuit seeks $125 million in monetary damages for discrimination victims, a civil penalty and a court order to modify its policies, and to train its staff and drivers. Uber disagreed with the allegations."

"Yesterday, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Uber Technologies Inc. for discriminating against passengers with disabilities, including those who use service animals and mobility devices such as stowable wheelchairs. Uber is the largest provider of ride-hailing services in the United States. The lawsuit seeks $125 million for individuals who have been subject to discrimination and previously submitted complaints to Uber or the Department.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges Uber violated Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits discrimination based on disability by private transportation companies like Uber.  The ADA also requires Uber to allow service animals to accompany individuals with disabilities in vehicles and to provide rides to, and assist, riders with stowable wheelchairs and mobility devices.

The Department’s civil complaint alleges that Uber and its drivers routinely refuse to serve individuals with disabilities; impose impermissible surcharges by charging cleaning fees for service animal shedding and cancellation fees to riders whom Uber has unlawfully denied service; and refuse to reasonably modify Uber’s policies, practices, or procedures, where necessary, to avoid discriminating against riders with disabilities, including by denying individuals with mobility disabilities the option to sit in the front seat when needed. Due to Uber’s ride denials, individuals with disabilities have experienced significant delays, missed appointments, and have been left stranded in inclement weather.

“For too long, blind riders have suffered repeated ride denials by Uber because they are traveling with a service dog,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This lawsuit seeks to end this persistent discrimination and allow riders with disabilities to use Uber. We will enforce the ADA’s guarantee that people with disabilities have equal opportunity and full participation in all aspects of American society, including transportation.”

“Rideshare companies like Uber are prohibited from denying riders with disabilities the same access to transportation that riders without disabilities enjoy,” said U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian of the Northern District of California. “This complaint underscores the United States’ commitment to enforcing the ADA’s promise of equal access.” ..."

The Wall Street Journal What's news

Justice Department Sues Uber for Denying Rides to Passengers with Service Dogs, Wheelchairs (original news release)

Switzerland’s Marcel Hug gets 8th Boston Marathon wheelchair win, American Susannah Scaroni a 2nd in milestone year

Good news! Marathon in a wheelchair! Wow! Bravo!

Switzerland’s Hug gets 8th Boston Marathon wheelchair win, American Scaroni a 2nd in milestone year – Boston Herald

Boston, MA - Wheelchair winners Susannah Scaroni and Marcel Hug with the trophy at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

Mother and child with dwarfism on her parenting journey

Recommendable!

TV Bra: Norway's most extraordinary TV channel featuring journalists and other staff with disabilities

Very recommendable!

Ancient warrior deformity raises questions about historic attitudes toward disability in Italy

Amazing stuff!

Who knows, may be this severely disabled man was a brave warrior in his lifetime.

Strangely, this research does not say whether this man had any injuries, possibly suffered in combat, or not

"... Reanalysis of a warrior skeleton, which was first dug up in 1998, now shows the man had a congenital abnormality known as a club foot. This would have severely restricted his mobility and made him an unlikely combatant. Yet, he was buried with a lance, an iron dagger, a knife, and the signature Samnite bronze breastplate. ..."

From the abstract:

"This report describes a male skeleton recovered from the Samnite necropolis of Barrea (Abruzzo, 8th–5th century BCE), showing one malformed foot consistent with the diagnosis of unilateral congenital clubfoot associated with tarsal and tarsometatarsal coalitions in the same foot. This finding is particularly noteworthy because tarsal coalitions in congenital equinovarus foot have rarely been reported in medical literature, and to our knowledge, never in the paleopathological record. The recovery of this individual with impaired locomotion from a grave containing a complete array of weapons and armor sheds new light on the occupant's identity and social attitudes toward disabled people in Samnite society. In mortuary archaeology, the correlation between warrior burials and social identity in life of the dead in ancient times is a widely debated issue. Some scholars assert that the weapons in these graves suggest the existence of a warrior class; others propose that the military items of the burial assemblage indicate a high social status or significant power. This study suggests that in Samnite society, physical impairment did not prevent someone from being honored as a warrior or high-status community member."

Ancient warrior deformity raises questions about historic attitudes toward disability | Journal Club | PNAS

Complex skeletal foot malformation in a Samnite “warrior grave” from Abruzzo, southern Italy (8th–5th century BCE) (open access)

Fig. 1 Grave T96. Plan of the grave showing the skeleton with the grave goods

Fig. 5 Articulated feet bones. Deformed left foot (left in the photo) compared to normal right foot (right in the photo).

Millions of people are missing from U.S. disability data. Really!

Propaganda and demagoguery? Most likely!

Or are actually too many diagnosed with a disability? Quite possible!

Is it not sometimes very convenient or even desirable to be diagnosed with a disability? Think of all the perks (e.g. special parking)!

Does not the medical profession have a keen business interest to diagnose as many as possible? It's often chronic and may require long term care.

Caveat: I did not read the article.

The authors: "Swenor is the founding director of the Johns Hopkins Disability Health Research Center. Landes is an associate professor of sociology and O’Hanley faculty scholar at Syracuse University. Hall is director of the Institute for Health and Disability Policy Studies at the University of Kansas." Any conflict of interest here?

The U.S. definition of disability is too narrow | STAT "Federal surveys focus on limitations on specific tasks, missing many with mental illness, chronic health conditions, and more."

Credits: Global Health NOW: Holding the Polio Eradication Effort Hostage; Cancer Care Inequities Are Costing Kids' Lives; and A Refuge from Relentless Threats

Watch: PM Modi's full interaction with Paris Paralympic champions

How many heads of states visit or meet with Paralympic athletes after the games? And for at least 40 minutes. Get to know PM Modi a little better. Caveat: I watched only the first 5 minutes or so. In Hindi language.

All-terrain Exoquad gets wheelchair users into four-wheelin' action in nature environments

Good news! But it does not come cheap! How many can afford it? Opportunity for rental business?

"The Exoquad four-wheeler is designed to let wheelchair users independently explore the gnarliest of outdoor environments. And while it packs multiple motors, it has an unpowered sibling that's made for no-holds-barred downhill descents. ...

Should you be interested, pricing starts at €15,999 (about US$17,365) for the 4WD Exoquad, €12,999 ($14,109) for the 2WD Exoquad, and €7,199 ($7,814) for the Exogravity. Potential buyers might also want to check out The Rig, the Zoom and the EV4 Mountain Cart. ..."

All-terrain Exoquad gets wheelchair users into four-wheelin' action

Deadly Neglect of demented patients in assisted living facilities

Bad news! Concerning!

"Just about every day in the U.S., patients with memory problems walk away from their assisted-living facilities undetected.

In the last five years, 2,000+ people have wandered away from assisted-living and dementia-care facilities or have been neglected for hours outside. 

~100 of those people have died—though the number has not been closely tracked.

Exposure to the elements is the chief cause: 61% died after hours—or days—of exposure to extreme heat or cold. People have also died after drowning in bodies of water, falling into ditches, or being repeatedly stung by bees and ants. 

In an exhaustive investigation into such “walkaway deaths,” The Washington Post details a “pattern of neglect” by the $34 billion industry and a lack of federal and state oversight to hold facilities accountable for understaffing, ignoring alarms, or skipping bed checks."

Global Health NOW: Anthrax Battle Baffles African Scientists; Deadly Neglect at Memory Care Facilities; and Kindling a New Kind of Fire Investigation

Dozens Of Assisted-Living Residents Died After Wandering Away Unnoticed

The Graphic Truth: More disabled Americans are working and studying

Good news!

The Graphic Truth: More disabled Americans are working and studying - GZERO Media

Credits: Human Progress Weekly Progress Roundup

American Bar Association: Celebrating Disability Pride Month July

I was not aware that the Disability Pride Month follows the LGBTQ Pride Month June!

I am not sure what is there to celebrate or to be proud of! We should be curing or even better preventing disabilities as much as possible! Of course, every human life is precious and every human ought to live a happy life.

"Disability Pride Month celebrates disabled persons embracing [???] their disabilities as integral parts of who they are, reclaiming visibility in public and interacting fully with their disabilities out in the open, and rejecting shame and internalized ableism. It is a time for the disability community to come together, uplift, and amplify one another’s voices and be heard. Disability pride has been described as “accepting and honoring each person’s uniqueness [???] and seeing it as a natural and beautiful part of human diversity [???].” ..."

Disability Pride Month

Tanzania hosts a beauty pageant for the hearing impaired in the world

Bravo!

Massachusetts Supermarket Worker with Down Syndrome Retires After Decades: ‘A Beloved Presence’

As abortion fanatics in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade all over the country become enraged, hysteric when they gather and protest ...

Life is a blessing. Every human life is precious!

MA Supermarket Worker with Down Syndrome Retires After Decades An adored Massachusetts grocery store employee, who spent the better part of three decades working for Market Basket, retired Tuesday following a big send-off from coworkers.

A special thanks to movie theaters open on Christmas Day

On a day when almost any other business is closed, movie theaters are open on Christmas Day! I knew for many years that movie theaters are open during Christmas holidays in Western countries, but I rarely visit movie theaters and definitely not on such a holiday.

Today (12/25/2021), I saw at least four people in a wheel chair and their companions visit a Harkins movie theater in the Phoenix metro area. By wheel chair bound, I mean most likely permanently wheel chair bound not temporarily.

One of these parties was a mother in about her 40s with her young, but presumably adult daughter waiting in a seating area nearby the Harkins movie theater. Not only was the daughter wheel chair bound, but she also suffered from a severe speech impediment and jerky movements. Her mother dressed her up in very nice looking clothing and she was wearing some modest, but appealing makeup. She looked very adorable. She seemed to enjoy herself as far as I could tell. She asked whether there was any Internet access in the movie theater area. Once she got on the Internet with her smartphone, she remarked the Internet access was a bit slow with a big smile.

When I saw the two again a while later, the daughter was still not quite ready to visit the movie theater as I learnt from her mother. So both of them continued to wait for a later show. I hope they went to see a movie or they will try again another day ...

In My Next Life I Want To Be A Disabled Person

Posted: 6/10/2013 Updated: 1/10/2016

Update Of 1/10/2016

On 9/26/2013, the wall street journal published an opinion piece by Bob Greene It's a Small-Minded World, Disney Learns Because parents scammed the theme parks, now disabled children will lose out. In this article the author describes how parents scammed the theme parks honor system by faking their children were disabled.

A Satire Of Sorts

If it can be had with little or no pain and as little a disability as possible, why not some may say!

The Benefits Are Tempting

I get the best parking almost anywhere. I get to sue businesses, if they do not accommodate or discriminate. I am entitled to disability insurance and Medicaid paid by tax payers. I get discounted tickets or reserved seating using public transportation. Discounted services of various kinds and so on.

By law, I would enjoy a special status.

It Only Gets Better With Time

Politicians are looking out for me. Over time they sure increase the benefits for me and lower the standards for being qualified as a disabled person. They count on my vote.