ASL Aspire brings STEM education in ASL to Chicago schools

For a deaf student sitting in science class, the isolation can start before the lesson even does: no textbook, no app, no teacher's aide fully built for a language that isn't spoken out loud. Ayesha Kazi has spent the last five years trying to close that gap. This fall, the co-founder and COO of ASL Aspire is doing it while starting her MBA at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, running a startup that's about to land in classrooms across the city.

"This year, ASL Aspire will be working with 11 Chicago Public Schools, bringing us closer to the students, teachers and families we serve," Kazi told Chicago Star, "to continue making STEM education and cultural experiences more inclusive across the city."

ASL Aspire's roots trace back to 2021, when Kazi and co-founder Mona Jawad, then students at the 

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, noticed a gap most hearing students never think about: American Sign Language has historically lacked standardized STEM vocabulary, forcing Teachers of the Deaf to build their own makeshift materials from scratch. "We quickly realized that many teachers were creating or adapting their own materials simply because there were so few accessible resources available to them," Kazi said. "That experience shaped the foundation of ASL Aspire."

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What they built isn't a translation tool. ASL Aspire's platform pairs interactive STEM games with lessons taught in ASL by real Deaf scientists and mathematicians. That's a deliberate choice as the co-founder explains: “If a Deaf student has never seen someone like them working as a scientist, engineer, or other STEM professional, it can be difficult to imagine that career as an option for themselves. By featuring Deaf scientists, we are not only teaching STEM concepts, but also showing students that there is a place for them in these fields.”

That doesn't mean AI is absent from the platform, just aimed at a different problem. For the 2026–2027 school year, ASL Aspire will be rolling out an AI-powered module maker built for Teachers of the Deaf. “Teachers will be able to upload their existing curriculum into ASL Aspire, and our platform will transform it into a national standards-aligned module," Kazi said, "while allowing educators to continue teaching the material and concepts they know work best for their students." 

This rapid growth has been fueled by recent financial backing from the NYU Impact Investment Fund (NIIF), which selected ASL Aspire as a premier investment in June 2026.

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But behind the growth is a grind that doesn't always make it into pitch decks. Kazi has spoken openly about burnout and about navigating Chicago's tech scene as a young Muslim woman, leaning on the city's startup community to get through it. 

"My biggest piece of advice is to start building publicly and put yourself out there," she said. "Building a company can feel incredibly lonely, but it doesn't have to be. I have found that the more willing I am to show up and be vulnerable about what I am building, the more people I find who are willing to show up for me."

As Chicago Public Schools head back into session this fall, ASL Aspire's expansion is a reminder that some of the city's most meaningful tech isn't built for headlines; it's built for a specific kid in a specific classroom. Schools, educators, or anyone who wants to help open doors can learn more or connect with a local district by visiting theofficial ASL Aspire Hub.