Gallaudet University Football Can Use Adaptive Helmets All Year Long, NCAA Says

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Gallaudet University Football Can Use Adaptive Helmets All Year Long, NCAA Says

Steven Aquino
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Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

Steven covers accessibility and assistive technologies.

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Sep 19, 2024,07:23pm EDT

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The Gallaudet football team can use the connected helmets all year long.

Gallaudet University

This past weekend, Dallas-based AT&T announced the NCAA has approved use of its so-called “first-of-its-kind, innovative connected helmet” for the entirety of the 2024 football season. As the telecom titan noted, the 5G-enabled helmet was developed with Gallaudet University.

Gallaudet, based in Washington DC, is the world’s preeminent collegiate institution for the those in the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community.

“With the connected helmet, which debuted in limited-use only last season, Deaf and hard-of-hearing athletes receive play calls directly on a digital display within the helmet,” AT&T wrote in its announcement, published on September 14. “It was created in collaboration with Gallaudet University, AT&T and Riddell, to enhance on-field communication for student-athletes who use American Sign Language.”

AT&T also said the NCAA’s ruling in favor of the special helmets—they were used in one game last year—is a significant development for inclusion as it “[levels] [...]

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