What Kind Of Technology Do You Think Would Help D/Deaf / HoH People In The Future? Should There Be More
What kind of technology do you think would help d/Deaf / HoH people in the future? Should there be more research into improving hearing aids, or making real-time captioning glasses, or maybe AI that can translate sign language instead of a human interpreter? What would be super useful if it existed?
Hello,
hearing loss is very varied, as are the types of communication people use. As such, I wouldn't focus on one single technology, since it wouldn't fit all deaf people.
Hearing aids can't be much improved, imo - they work on making sounds louder for existing hearing. They can be fine tuned, but they are more akin to glasses. The biggest issue with hearing aids isn't technology, but their price - they often aren't covered by insurance and as such, remain inaccessible for lot of people. There is also a significant stigma about their usage, esp for people who lose hearing later in life and discomfort with using them. I think that should be the priority.
Cochlear implants are a hearing device which can still be improved and does keep improving every year. Ideal end goal would be hearing identical to natural hearing and smaller size of implant. Current implants do work well, but sounds from them are different compared to "ordinary" hearing (more robotized, less fine) and they are still fairly big. Of course, you can't make them too small, otherwise you wouldn't be able to operate them. And same as hearing aids, price remains a problem - not just price of surgery and implant itself, but of batteries and upkeep.
I would honestly love real time caption glasses! They do exist in some way nowadays, but not in any practical form. One of the biggest issues is that automatic caption is still pretty... hit or miss. Especially in louder environments, extra especially if your language isn't English. I do think its a neat technology that could be useful, but we are far from its ideal existence. (not to mention, problems with privacy, connection to internet, how to power them, price, etc etc.)
There already has been some attempts into artificial interpreter, but nothing really workable. Big issue is that you need both technology that produces very fine tuned movement of all top parts of body (including face expressions) and is able to capture movement and recognize movement. Another issue is that you would need to have a workable library of all signs in a specific sign language. ASL is probably the closest to it, but it would need to be likely captured for that technology specifically and that's insane amounts of work. Unlike with written English, you can't just scrape internet for signs - they are in various video forms, differ slightly, lot of signs aren't on internet at all... To have AI interpreter, you first need to have a great, indexed sign language dictionary and that doesn't really exist at the moment.
(there are various online dictionaries but their quality... is in my opinion not up to par for this)
The biggest problem often isn't technical limit of technology itself, but the amount of time and money it would need for these technologies to exist. That's why cochlear implants get most "updates", bcs its funded by big medical companies and it brings lot of money.
In ideal world, I would love to have all of these technologies. If you focus on just one, you risk leaving part of community in the lurch. Not all deaf/hoh people use sign language. Not all deaf/hoh people want or can use hearing aids or cochlear implants. Not all deaf/hoh people are good readers (either due language issues or additional disabilities).
Hope this helped,
Mod T
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Sources: Rogan Shannon
[Image ID:
Ace in American Sign Language. The hands are translucent, overlapping, and the colors of the asexual flag.
End ID]
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Sources: SigningSavvy, Lifeprint, ASLDeafined
[Image ID:
Chocolate in American Sign Language. C handshape moves in circles on the back of base hand. Movement is illustrated by arms that are translucent brown and white in different stages of the sign. Background is transparent.
End ID]
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Collective Economics
Sources: National Black Deaf Advocates
[Image ID:
The Sign for Collective Economics in American Sign Language.
Collective is signed with both hands linked in bent, open B handshape, arms parallel to the ground. Hands pull each other in a circle motion. Movement is illustrated by arms that are translucent black in different stages of the sign.
Economics is signed with hand in E handshape, palm up tapping base hand in open B handshape with palm up. Movement is illustrated by arms that are translucent green in different stages of the sign.
Background is white.
End ID]
out of curiosity, do you have a favorite variation of the sign for “queer”? ive seen the rainbow one propped up lately but ive always loved and preferred the variations with the open 8.
anyways fjfkfskdjg thats all.
- @asl-emojis
I hadn't seen the open 8 one before. In looking it up I found two.
There was one where the middle finger brushes past the side of the signers head. The author said about the sign "To me, this sign reflects our history as a resilient community"
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I've always liked the rainbow version but the "queer as in fuck you" might be a new favorite
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Double Feature
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[Image ID:
Image 1: graphic design of the sign Late Night in ASL.
Image 2: graphic design of the sign twice in ASL.
Image 3: graphic design of the sign show twice in ASL.
Image 4: graphic design of hands representing light being projected.
Image 5: graphic design of the sign show, as in performance, in ASL.
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End ID]
Book
Sources: SigningSavvy, Lifeprint, ASLDeafined
[Image ID: the sign for Book in ASL. Both hands in b handshape palms facing each other, touching along the pinky side then palms facing up. Action resembles opening a book. Means open book in ASL if signed once and book if signed 2-3 times. End ID]
[Image ID: tags that read "#i saw the sign my beloved. End ID]
I saw this and I thought you meant you had seen the sign for "my beloved." Then I remembered that "I saw the sign" is me and I did giggle. Anyway here's sweetheart
Sweetheart
Sources: SigningSavvy, Lifeprint, ASLDeafined
[Image ID:
Sweetheart in American Sign Language. Both hands in open A handshape with knuckles together. The thumbs bend down towards each other. Movement is illustrated by arms that are translucent green, blue, and purple in different stages of the sign. There is purple heart on a blue heart on a green heart between the thumbs.
End ID]
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/14/theater/american-idiot-asl-los-angeles-deaf-west.html?searchResultPosition=1&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3oM4BVQBMnHXJFnIM2Fm_rrGdv99AP6g9j0yYouduRvKP8DytlEvpz-pM_aem_HB5hcQKonvyP1pkEfk2PMg&sfnsn=mo
‼️❗❕❗‼️❕❗‼️❕❗‼️
Had to share epic news from the New York Times about Deaf West Theater and the Mark Forum in Los Angeles, California creating Green Day's "American Idiot" with sign language this November! Will you go?
🎶🎵🤟😊👍🎵🎶
Wishing everyone a happy and safe Disability Pride Month! I'm grateful for all the support and love you have shown me.
If you feel so inclined, please consider supporting me on instagram or ko-fi. (prints archived until further notice)
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[ID: a 2x2 collage of various pieces of art depicting people wearing hearing aids. three are digital art, and one is a collage of photographs. the top left depicts a person with short hair in profile, the bottom left depicts a light-skinned man and dark-skinned man kissing, and the bottom right depicts a black girl in profile wearing citrus-themed beads and an orange hearing aid. end ID]
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Sources: SigningSavvy, Lifeprint, ASLDeafined
[Image ID: test in American Sign Language. Both hands move down starting in 1 handshape, then X handshape, then 5 handshape. Movement is illustrated by arms that are translucent green, blue, and purple in different stages of the sign.
End ID]
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they/them, hearing, Interpreting major. Online resources: https://sites.google.com/view/thesign-resource If you wanna learn ASL, try and find in-person classes with a culturally Deaf teacher and make sure you learn about Deaf culture as well! [Profile Pic ID: The sign for Art in American Sign Language. End ID]
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