While working on the end-to-end experience of Microsoft’s Event Management system, I discovered a significant gap and opportunity for the Deaf user community. Traditional accessibility in digital events relies heavily on human sign language interpreters, leading to several challenges: high costs, limited availability, scheduling complexities, and inconsistencies in contextual accuracy. Additionally, supporting multiple sign languages—such as American Sign Language (ASL), British Sign Language (BSL), and Japanese Sign Language (JSL)—is essential to ensure inclusiveness for diverse participants. However, scaling these services across digital platforms and regions becomes increasingly difficult.

To overcome these challenges, I needed a scalable, real-time solution capable of handling linguistic variations across different sign languages, minimizing dependency on human interpreters, and significantly reducing operational costs—while enhancing accessibility and inclusiveness for all participants.