Help is at hand for the sizeable number of the hearing-impaired in the country who cannot converse with those who do not understand their sign language.

A web portal has been developed to enable the deaf to communicate online through an interpreter application which converts sign language into speech and vice versa.

The number of the deaf has been put at between 10 and 15 million as per the latest count.

The platform, developed jointly by BarrierBreak Technologies and the Deaf Way Foundation, creates a unique platform that enables the deaf community to connect with friends, families, associates, and colleagues across the world using sign language.

All that a deaf user needs to possess is a computer with Internet connectivity to log on to Signntalk website (signntalk.org) and a decent Web-enabled camera to show the user?s signs.

However, not everyone knows the sign language and that is the primary reason why a hearing-impaired person has problems communicating ideas or thoughts effectively, said Ramya Venkitesh, the solution architect of the platform.

To fill this gap, the Signntalk website provides online interpreting service that acts as a connecting solution.

The Signntalk requires the deaf caller to register on the website and log in using his or her username and password.

The caller is then required to fill in the call details, such as name and phone number of the person, and connect to the Signntalk interpreter, Venkitesh said.

''As soon as the caller connects to the interpreter, a service agent gets connected online with the caller from a remote location. The sign language interpreter connects the caller to the desired contact number through a telephone.''

''The interpreter then interprets signs of the deaf caller and communicates the messages in speech to the other receiver and vice-versa,'' he said.

Signntalk enables the deaf to order a pizza, take an appointment with a doctor, talk to friends, contact helplines and do more of what was not earlier possible for them to do independently.

"We have developed the website because in India there is a barrier between the deaf community and the hearing world, rendering the disadvantaged unable to be part of many social activities, Venkitesh said.

The real issue in India is the woeful inadequacy of facilities for the deaf. Many organizations that work towards equal opportunity and equal rights are unable to recruit deaf candidates due to either their lack of education or lack of infrastructure solutions to include them.