From The Associated Press:PHILADELPHIA - A dozen fellow students from the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in Philadelphia tested out a virtual guided tour of the city's historic district in sign language July 11.
The students were given GPS devices resembling a portable electronic game. On the 4-inch screen, a man in costume explained in sign language the significance of where they were standing.
The devices, called GPS Rangers, were invented by Lee Little, CEO of Austin, Texas-based BarZ Adventures Inc. Little said he was tired of paying for large-group guided tours that he couldn't always hear, so he built a gadget that would give video-guided tours triggered by a person's location — as determined by a GPS antenna inside the device.
When the students and teachers stepped up to the Liberty Bell and the devices began speaking to them, their mouths dropped and their faces lit up.
It's like having a personal guide, with a map and restroom locations built in, said 13-year-old Selena Ramos. If they miss something, they can replay it; if they like it, they can stay longer; if they aren't impressed, they can skip it.
About 25 different points in Philadelphia are programed into the GPS Ranger, Little said.The devices are available at parks and zoos in more than 20 locations nationwide, but Philadelphia is the first with ASL as a language option, Little said. A hundred of the devices will be available to the public starting July 21, and will cost $15.95 to rent. Available languages include German, Spanish and French.
Independence Visitors Corp., which runs the visitor center in the city's historic district, decided early on that ASL would be one of the languages available on the devices, general manager Christine Keates said.
It means that people who use ASL will no longer have to call ahead to arrange interpreted tours of places such as Independence Hall, the Betsy Ross House and the site of Ben Franklin's home, she said.
For people who are hard of hearing but don't know sign language, GPS Ranger also has closed captions.
