DREAM (Digital Realms for Empowerment, Access, and Mastery) for Deaf Youth

K-12 STEAM education

Central LA East LA South LA West LA San Fernando Valley South Bay Long Beach County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit) City of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a citywide benefit)

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

Deaf youth face urgent and escalating barriers to language development. In California, over 70% of deaf students graduate functionally illiterate, reading no higher than a fifth-grade level. Without access to incidental or “overheard” language, as hearing youth have, they fall dangerously behind without direct, intentional intervention. These vital resources are often out of reach for low-income families. The crisis is worsening with the elimination of newborn hearing screenings through the Early Hearing Detection & Intervention program, delaying diagnoses and deepening language deprivation. Time is critical—every missed year compounds academic and social setbacks. Traditional instruction alone cannot meet the scale of this challenge. Our cloud-based Virtual Reality (VR) platform provides immersive, real-world language experiences. By delivering this innovative solution to deaf youth now, we can prevent lifelong inequities and close a gap that otherwise threatens to become permanent.

DREAM is a cutting-edge pilot initiative delivering immersive, VR-cloud-based learning experiences across Los Angeles for at-risk deaf youth ages 8 to 21 who use spoken language.
DREAM addresses a critical gap for deaf youth: the deficiency of language that supports the development of functional and academic vocabulary, literacy, emotional and social language, and real-world comprehension. For many low-income families in LA, they have never been to the ocean or national parks, missing critical language opportunities. With DREAM, it will be free and within reach.
Leveraging Microsoft Azure’s scalable cloud infrastructure and Unreal Engine 5’s advanced capabilities, DREAM will launch five interactive VR modules—where deaf youth “live” vocabulary in virtual settings like grocery stores, zoos, and doctor’s offices, as well as Trips Around the World and Secrets of the Sea. These high-fidelity simulations allow youth to explore ecosystems, engage in scientific discovery, and build language skills through responsive narration, audio-text integration, and gesture-based interactions.
Educators will be trained to facilitate VR learning, guiding youth through modules tailored to various skill levels. By deploying these experiences through our 37 Pop-Up model at libraries near families’ homes, DREAM brings frontier technology to underserved communities, removing barriers of cost, location, and access while redefining how deaf youth engage with language, STEM, and the world around them.

If DREAM is successful, Los Angeles County will become a national model for tech-powered, inclusive education. The mobile VR lab will bring immersive learning to deaf youth in underserved areas—creating endless opportunities from pre-teaching of key concepts tied to curriculum standards, STEM principles, and real-world experiences. By simulating a wide range of environments—from science labs to national monuments—deaf youth will build practical vocabulary, confidence, and the skills needed to succeed in a hearing world.
This initiative is more than educational—it’s transformative. It redefines what’s possible for at-risk deaf youth, empowering them to pursue higher education, meaningful careers, and full participation in society. With DREAM, Los Angeles County will lead the way in closing opportunity gaps through innovative, cloud-based VR learning—paving the way for economic mobility and equity for this vulnerable population.