In the last week of September, the International Week of the Deaf is celebrated with the aim of raising global awareness of the rights of the deaf. On this very occasion, 50 members of the Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing of the City of Zagreb visited the famous open-air museum - the city of Osor, where they were presented with a virtual walk. Osor's time machine – a new dimension of the past.
Namely, with virtual reality technology through VR glasses and sign language, the user gets to know the rich history of Osor and the Cresko-Lošinj archipelago in an interesting and exciting way through 11 stories, in a complete 3D experience. The glasses themselves have a menu in six languages, including sign language as a complete novelty, so it's about the first VR glasses in Europe with sign language suitable for deaf and hard of hearing people.
"We are extremely pleased that this year, on the International Day of the Deaf, we can be in Osor and support such a commendable project in general, and especially for the Deaf community. Every year, the International Day of the Deaf, which is celebrated on the last Saturday in September, is celebrated with certain topics important for the functioning and improvement of the quality of life of deaf and hard of hearing people, and this is also an opportunity to sensitize the public and raise awareness about deaf people, as well as an incentive for further activities that will make deaf people equal members of the wider social community", she said Mirjana Juriša from the Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing of the City of Zagreb.
This project was created with the cooperation of the Tourist Board of the Town of Mali Lošinj, the Lošinj Museum and Conoko doo
"Deaf and hard-of-hearing people select their language (international sign language) in the menu. Within the story, their narrator is on the side-by-side parallel projection and is visible when the viewer follows the action all around them (360°). As far as we know, this is the first such possibility in Europe, which presents cultural heritage in tourism, and enables the deaf and hard of hearing to equally enjoy virtual reality projections", he explained Nedjeljko Tisler from the company Conoko doo