About Nina Tran
Deaf. Climbing lover. Passion for accessibility. Dream of traveling around the world.
She uses she/her/they pronouns. She was born to her first-generation immigrant parents who could not afford education. They tried their hardest to help her and her sister succeed by any means, even if they lacked access to resources. When she moved to the United States of America, she never knew that she could go to a public school and learn sign language. That’s when her world expanded.
Fast forward to the present, she has a bachelor’s degree in Disability Studies and Informatics from the University of Washington. She recently received her master’s degree in Accessible Human-centered Computing from Gallaudet University.Her younger self would not believe that all of this could have happened.
She has always been enquiring and enjoyed learning about the world. She is passionate about accessibility. With that in mind, she brings over 4 years of hands-on experience in research, encompassing qualitative and quantitative methodologies, statistical analysis, accessibility testing, and expertise in UX/UI.
Research Interest
Accessibility, Human-computer interaction, Artifical intelligence, Human language technologies, Smart home technology & automation, Gaming, Application programming interface, Disability justice, Sociotechnology
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Publications
- Assessment of Sign Language-Based versus Touch-Based Input for Deaf Users Interacting with Intelligent Personal Assistants [Publication] [PDF]
- Sign Language-Based versus Touch-Based Input for Deaf Users with Interactive Personal Assistants in Simulated Kitchen Environments [Publication] [PDF]
- SignMates Matchmaking App (Poster) [PDF]
- U.S. Deaf Community Perspectives on Automatic Sign Language Translation [Publication] [PDF]
Awards
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Bison Tank Business Award | Won third place for designing a deaf-friendly dating app |
| 2023 | CRA-WP Grad Cohort for Women | Granted a travel Scholarship |
| 2023 | CRA-WP Grad Cohort for IDEALS | Granted a travel scholarship |
| 2022 | Tapia Conference Scholarship | Sponsored by AccessComputing |
| 2021 | Dennis Leng Award | Nominated for the Best Outstandarding Student |
| 2021 | Dean’s List Scholarship | Awarded for achieving a GPA of 3.50 |
| 2020 | Dean’s List Scholarship | Awarded for achieving a GPA of 3.50 |