A new app helps deaf and hard of hearing children watch movies

When high school senior Brooke Scott saw a post on social media about the SignUp app, she quickly contacted its developer Mariella Satow.

According to the app’s GoFundMe page, SignUp is a free Google Chrome extension that provides on-screen American Sign Language alongside children’s movies on Disney+.

Scott, a senior at Plainfield East High School senior and president of the PEHS American Sign Language Club, said she wanted to help Satow raise funds for the app. Funds raise go toward the costs of hiring interpreters, social media advertising and further tech development, the GoFundMe page said.

“Like its creator, watching Disney movies was a memorable part of my childhood. I loved watching movies with my brother,” Scott said in an email. “Every child deserves to have those memories and be able to watch Disney movies in a language they communicate and understand. To have access to an app that enables the deaf and hard of hearing communities this opportunity is groundbreaking. This is what motivated me to contact Mariella Satow and help create a positive impact on this community.”

What makes Disney+ so special?

“I think the messages in Disney movies are crucial to learning,” Scott said. “They can change a person.”

Scott and the ASL club held bake sales and a raffle, which raised $450, Scott said. That, along with Scott spreading the word on her own social media accounts, led to raising a total of $675 for SignUp, Scott said. Scott hopes to raise a total of $2,500.

She hopes her efforts will enable Satow to expand her platform. The GoFundMe page said that expansion could include Netflix, Hulu and other streaming services and an opportunity to develop a mobile/tablet version of the app.

ASL Club sponsor Cortney Troy praised Scott’s initiative in a news release from District 202.

“I love seeing the passion with her,” Troy said in the release. “She’s very excited and hopefully it will inspire other students to do positive things.”

Scott herself is planning to double major in environmental studies and American Sign Language in the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. In fact, Scott feels getting behind the SignUp app benefitted Scott, too.

“This has given me the opportunity to find my voice,” Scott said.

To donate to the SignUp app, visit gofund.me/c7ae5940.