Kazakh Students’ AI Platform Wins Acclaim at RESNA Competition

Washington, D.C., The Gulf Observer: A groundbreaking project developed by Kazakhstani students received high praise at the RESNA Annual Conference and Abilities Expo, held as part of the international Abilities Expo.

The project, named Kozha, was created by Zhan Amankeldy of Kazakhstan-British Technical University and Bogdan Mironov from Berea College. The team was guided by renowned physics teacher Askhat Zhumabekov, recognized among the world’s top 50 teachers and named Best Educator in 2018 by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Education and Science.

Kozha is a free, AI-based platform capable of translating lectures, texts, and videos into sign language in real time. The innovation addresses a pressing global challenge, as more than 430 million people worldwide live with significant hearing loss.

In Kazakhstan alone, over 5,000 deaf and hard-of-hearing children are enrolled in schools, yet there is a critical shortage of qualified sign language interpreters. The developers emphasized that Kozha is not merely a technological solution but a vital tool to bridge gaps in accessibility.

By enabling real-time communication and learning support, the platform promotes equal opportunities, enhances access to quality education, and represents a significant step toward inclusivity for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.