FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DeafUP Mobile Application for Deaf Empowerment

DeafUP, a native IOS 11 application, is designed to empower young deaf people in Eastern Europe by providing innovative professional education and fostering collaboration between deaf and hearing individuals. The application's primary goal is to improve the communication and social skills of its participants, creating equal opportunities for deaf citizens in society.

The application utilizes video content and group chats with sign language translators to facilitate communication between mentors and mentees. It encourages users to scroll through a narrative, with click interactions available for accessing program descriptions, course details, and mentorship sessions. DeafUP is a unique platform that addresses the specific needs of the deaf community, promoting social enterprise, education, and interaction design.

The DeafUP project, initiated in 2019, saw the mobile app design come to life in early 2020. The design team, led by Zlatina Petrova, is distributed across Bulgaria, Germany, and the United States, with contributions from various professionals. The project's research, conducted in collaboration with the ListenUP foundation, involved observation, focus groups, public discussions, and meetings with advisors from Lufthansa Germany and the Bulgarian Ministry of Education.

Zlatina Petrova, the CEO of Brandly Collective and a startup design mentor, has been instrumental in the creation of DeafUP. Her dedication to empowering the deaf community and her innovative approach to design have been recognized with the prestigious Silver A' Design Award in 2020. Through DeafUP, Zlatina aims to create an environment where hearing professionals and deaf students can collaborate, empowering and motivating deaf individuals to pursue their dreams and make a difference.

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