Institute for Disabilities Research and Training

With over 26 years of experience and 60+ technology products on the market, the Institute for Disabilities Research and Training (IDRT) is dedicated to improving the lives of people with disabilities, their families, and service providers through research and development, training, technical assistance, and advocacy. Although our work benefits people with all disabilities, we specialize in research and development efforts on behalf of adults and children who are deaf and hard of hearing. IDRT has particular expertise in American Sign Language (ASL) software and services, and gesture recognition technology (the AcceleGlove™): myASLTech.com is an on-line portal that hosts IDRT's comprehensive suite of ASL tools and 3rd party content, such as the Sign Generator, myASL Publisher, and myASL Quizmaker. The AcceleGlove™, coupled with IDRT's gesture recognition software, can capture static and dynamic hand/finger positions and gestures. The primary application is as an input device for translating American Sign Language hand gestures to English text and speech. Other applications include a military or medical first responder communication system, a controller for consumer electronics, robots, and video games, and the technology can be expanded to capture all body movements for sports training and physical therapy applications. Through our vast ASL product portfolio and experience, IDRT also assists companies and organizations of all sizes enhance deaf and hard of hearing customer experience, as well as meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements for deaf and hard of hearing people. Located in Wheaton, Maryland, IDRT is a woman-owned small business, and approximately one-third of the staff is deaf or hard of hearing. Among our accomplishments, Paws Signs Stories (a.k.a. ASL for Kids)won a Codie Award for Best Special Needs software, and the accompanying storybooks won Best in Category for Excellence in Print from the Printing and Graphics Communications Association. myTTY 3.0, a software product that allows computers to communicate with TTYs without a special modem, has been an industry standard since 1993 when its development was first funded.