TigerChat, developed and maintained by Pam Francis's software development team, has been successfully installed and configured as the Point of Service (POS) system within the RIT Public Safety department. The primary goal is to aid in communication between Public Safety and faculty, staff, and students who are deaf or hard of hearing. The POS system is installed in the Public Safety lobby in Grace Watson Hall. Future initiatives include expanding the deployment of TigerChat to additional departments and services across RIT.

CAT hosted representatives from Meta, the company behind Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and other platforms, at our campus for a full-day collaborative design workshop. Seventeen deaf and hard-of-hearing participants attended and offered valuable insights to support Meta's future initiatives in accessibility development.

Google DeepMind has introduced Sign Language-to-Text (SL2T), an innovative artificial intelligence model designed to translate sign language into text in real time. Initially available on Google Pixel 11 devices, SL2T represents a significant advancement in accessible communication technology. The RIT/NTID Center on Access Technology is proud to have collaborated with Google on SL2T-related initiatives over the past several years, contributing expertise and insights that have supported the development of this emerging technology.