HONORABLE MENTION

Michael Valadez-Barba, age 15
Granada Hills Charter High School, Granada Hills, CA
Teacher: Jackie Ying

A person who is deaf, hard of hearing, or has hearing loss may struggle to catch important announcements in public places such as fire alarms, airplane announcements, etc. These situations can be very stressful, frustrating, and even life-threatening. My design is an app that utilizes sound recognition technology that listens for announcements that the user may need. The user enters their phrase into the app and the app listens attentively to the surroundings and vibrates to notify the user if the key phrase has been announced. This design creates a healthier world for a person who is deaf, hard of hearing, or has hearing loss because it positively impacts their mental health by removing the frustration and stress of worrying about missing any announcements; whether the announcements are as minimal as listening to a message on an airplane or as crucial as a fire alarm.