Roughly 100 days ago, our team — Marlena Leuz, Aeliya Grover, and I — entered the UChicago ILC 100 Days Challenge, a competition where teams are given 100 days to build and pitch a startup idea to a panel of judges.
At the start, we were lost. Every idea we brainstormed felt trivial — interesting, maybe, but not enough to inspire real action. That changed after a conversation with my mom, who reminded me of the everyday challenges faced by the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (HoH) community. After meeting with and learning directly from Deaf/HoH individuals, our direction became clear.
That’s when HandsIn was born.
The Problem We Tackled
Healthcare providers often face communication barriers when serving Deaf and Hard of Hearing patients. In critical moments, these barriers can mean the difference between clarity and confusion, or even safe and unsafe care.
While interpreters are essential, providers also need foundational ASL literacy to reduce miscommunication in urgent situations. We set out to build a tool that could help bridge this gap.
What We Built 🚀
HandsIn is an AI-powered training platform that equips healthcare providers with basic American Sign Language (ASL) skills through interactive, avatar-based simulations.
Over the 100 days, we:
- 💡 Pivoted completely — from a music-focused social media app to HandsIn
- 🖥️ Created an MVP (minimum viable product)
- 🤝 Spoke with countless mentors, healthcare professionals, and Deaf/HoH community members
- 📚 Learned what it truly takes to be entrepreneurs and collaborators
What We Learned 💡
This project was deeply personal. For me, HandsIn is about using technology to empower, not replace. Our aim isn’t to take the place of ASL interpreters, but to build foundational ASL literacy so that, in crucial moments, communication barriers are reduced and patients get the care they need.
We also discovered the power of persistence, the importance of community feedback, and the value of teamwork under tight deadlines.
The Outcome 🏆
At the end of the challenge, we pitched alongside other incredible teams — and were honored to be awarded 1st place in the UChicago ILC 100 Days Competition!
We are deeply thankful to our mentors and to the wonderful people we’ve spoken with over the past 100 days, including but not limited to Sherri Collins, Julie Miller (PhD, MSW), and Bronte Stewart.
Looking Ahead
HandsIn is just getting started. We plan to:
- Expand domain-specific lessons tailored for healthcare
- Improve gesture recognition with more robust models
- Add cultural and historical ASL content to foster true understanding
🙏 We’re grateful for an unforgettable 100-day journey of learning, building, and growing.
👉 Learn more or support our mission at: handsinlearning.co