Exercise 7: Filipino Alphabet Sign Language using

Deep Learning
Jako And Friends
Computer Studies and Engineering
Jose Rizal University

Abstract— Majority of the people in the Philippines are express themselves uniquely through a well-developed sign
unfamiliar with the use of Filipino Sign Language. Filipino Sign language. A broad Sign Language helps the deaf and mute
Language was often used a long time ago by the deaf community people on their own, helping them to connect alongside with
in the Philippines. Currently, it has become more crucial as a
others who know how to communicate with sign language.
means of communication within the deaf community. However,
almost all Filipinos do not know how to use Filipino Sign
Since deaf people experience trouble speaking, singing, and
Language, affecting the interaction between the deaf people and listening, they rely upon gestures with hands to interact
hearing people. As we conduct this study, it aims to get a better became important. Applying image classification and deep
understanding and learning of the Filipino Sign Language learning approaches, this aims to improve Filipino’s to gain
alphabet, employing deep learning and image classification. knowledge on how to communicate with Filipino Sign
Additionally, this study will also utilize Convolutional Neural Language.
Network for further enhancement of understanding and learning
for those who are unfamiliar with Filipino Sign Language.
II. RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
Keywords— Filipino Sign Language, Convolutional Neural
Network, Deep Learning, Deaf Community The domain that we have discussed is the use for awareness as
doing this activity for awareness will not only help us
I. INTRODUCTION researchers to further understand the difficulties of Filipinos
who are pwd. The study would Help them by using FSL to let
Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have gained
them understand by using image processing and deep learning
popularity across various technology domains, especially in
This are the objectives that the researchers would need to do
image classification. They excel in adapting to the unique
characteristics of image inputs, providing remarkable
1. Can FSL identification system can be used in identifying
outcomes and precision in image analysis. With their ability to
the language
gather visual features, CNNs play a crucial role in extracting
2. Can the FSL identification system be used by people inside
insights essential for image analysis.
and outside the Filipino Deaf Community?
3 Can the model provide an accurate FSL based on the input
Sign Language (SL) is a systematized form of
image.
communication made up of distinct gestures and signs, each
with a unique meaning. It uses forms, placement, and hand
gestures along with its own vocabulary and grammar. Even III. LITERATURE REVIEW
though sign language is becoming more and more common, it
According to [1] (Cabutaje, 2023), deaf community often
can be difficult for non-users to communicate with sign
utilizes The Sign Language for communication. Sign language
language users. The ability in sign language facilitates
in the Philippines has further expanded to better serve the
communication with people who can understand it, as well as
needs of Deaf People, however, almost all Filipinos are not
allowing deaf and mute people to express themselves on their
proficient in using or understanding The Filipino Sign
own. Deaf people rely on hand gestures to concisely and
Language. Within the Deaf People’s community, sign
effectively communicate their ideas because they are unable to
language remains limited in widespread use. The majority of
speak, sing, or hear normally. Their ability to communicate
the general population lacks interest in learning sign language
with others depends critically on this method.According to [1]
for Deaf People. As a result, a communication gap arises
Varma, Baptista, Pandi, and Coutinho (2020), there is a need
between Deaf People and those with normal hearing.
to close the communication gap between the deaf community
and the general public because of the neglect and isolation that
physically impaired people experience from society. People
who would otherwise have limited communication options can
 According to [2] (Montefalcon, 2021), The progress of
Filipino Deaf People is slowing down, making it challenging
for them to keep up with the rapid advancements in
technology in the Philippines. The Filipino Sign Language
greatly assists Deaf People in communicating with others, but
many Filipinos do not understand it, making communication
between Deaf People and Hearing People difficult to
understand. The use of CNN in Filipino Sign Language is
significant aid in addressing communication barriers between
hearing People and Deaf People. In the long run, it would be
more advantageous to promote Sign Language to nearly all
Filipinos, making the communication easier with those who
use Sign Language. Recognizing non-manual signals in
Filipino sign language.
According to [3] (Rivera, 2018), Sign Language is crucial
for Deaf Peoples. The studies conducted have limitations, and
as of now, it has not been used in community. For other Sign
Language, many studies have been used, but all of those have
specific uses and focus for different functions. The Filipino
Sign Language has five components, The location, The Sign
Language signals, The hand shape, The movement, and the
palm orientation. Overtime, Filipino Sign Language is
evolving, keeping pace with various generations, especially in
present technology.
According to [4] (Aditya Dasl 2018) Adding to the
discourse, it's important to note that Sign Language detection
by technology is an overlooked concept, despite its potential to
benefit a large social group. There is a scarcity of technologies
that connect this social group to the rest of the world.
Understanding sign language is a primary enabler for users of
sign language to communicate with the broader society. Image
classification and machine learning can play a pivotal role in
helping computers recognize sign language, which can then be
interpreted by other people. Convolutional neural networks,
such as the one employed in this paper, can recognize sign
language gestures. The image dataset used in the study
consists of static sign language gestures captured on an RGB
camera, and preprocessing was performed on the images to
serve as the cleaned input. The results obtained by retraining
and testing this sign language gestures dataset on a
convolutional neural network model using Inception v3
showcased a validation accuracy above 90%. Furthermore, the
paper reviews various attempts at sign language detection
using machine learning and depth data of images,
acknowledging the challenges posed and outlining future
prospects in addressing this issue. This technological approach
aligns with the broader goal of promoting inclusive
communication and meaningful interactions within the Deaf
community.
IV. METHODOLOGY
A. Data Collection
The dataset that we have is a customized dataset, So the plan
is to gather images that show the alphabetical letters per hand
sign and we should get around 99 samples so that the data that
we've gathered will help the model learn even more efficiently
than using less data.
REFERENCES
[1] Cabutaje, M.A., Brondial, K.A., Obillo, A.F., Abisado, M.B., Huyo-a,
S.L., & Sampedro, G.A. (2023). Ano Raw: A Deep Learning Based
Approach to Transliterating the Filipino Sign Language. 2023
International Conference on Electronics, Information, and
Communication (ICEIC), 1-6
[2] Montefalcon, M.D., Padilla, J.R., & Llabanes Rodriguez, R. (2021).
Filipino Sign Language Recognition using Deep Learning. 2021 5th
International Conference on E-Society, E-Education and E-Technology.
[3] Rivera, J. P., & Ong, C. (2018). Recognizing non-manual signals in
filipino sign language. In Proc. Eleventh International Conference on
Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC 2018) (pp. 1-
[4] A. Das, S. Gawde, K. Suratwala, and D. Kalbande, “Sign Language
Recognition Using Deep Learning on Custom Processed Static Gesture
Images,” IEEE Xplore, Jan. 01, 2018.
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8537248