An Approach to an Accessible Website for Deaf People

This is the first article in a two-part series dedicated to web accessibility for deaf or hard-of-hearing users.

Introduction

A few months ago, I was watching a famous local politician's speech at the legislative palace on TV with my wife, Zulema. I know, not exactly a fun plan. I was somewhat interested when Zulema, with some frustration, exclaimed, "How can this be!"

"What?" I asked, somewhat distracted.

She explained that the official broadcast included a sign language interpreter. A great idea to allow the many deaf people in our country who use sign language as their primary language to access the speech's content.

But there was a problem.

A giant caption at the bottom of the screen covered half of the frame where the interpreter was communicating the speech, making it almost impossible to follow. Unbelievable but true. Another vain attempt at providing accessibility, ruined by the ignorance of a media outlet. Or perhaps it's not ignorance.

Deafness and Accessibility

One of the first things I learned when I decided to actively get involved in web accessibility, and accessibility in general, is that you don't know what you don't know.

And commitment arises when you break that space of ignorance with new information. Because once you know, there are no excuses, right?

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around 5% of the world's population has some degree of hearing loss, which equals about 466 million people. Of these, 34 million are children. However, there is no single global data on the number of deaf people who cannot read the alphabet. This is because literacy among deaf people varies greatly depending on the country, region, and access to education.

Going back to the example mentioned earlier, it's clear that a television producer has at least a vague idea of the purpose of accompanying the speech with a sign language interpreter. And what it means for accessibility to cover the portion of the screen dedicated to the interpreter with unnecessary and redundant text.

It's not ignorance; it's at least incompetence. Or disinterest in the worst case.

Because once you know, there are no excuses.

So, what is the role of a media outlet? To communicate, of course. That's clear as day. But to communicate effectively requires a more effective commitment.

Why is it still uncertain today, in 2024, to create streaming or television broadcasts that include sign language interpretation? This is especially relevant for older people, who may suffer the most from hearing loss and deafness. If most of these broadcasts are based on a pre-written script, why not teach speakers to interact with their sign language interpreters to achieve a flow of ideas and understanding that doesn't clash with the famous "television times" that govern the industry, even in the age of streaming?

Challenges of Deafness and Digital Products

Now, let's bring this case to the reality of our field of work: creating accessible user experiences for digital products.

What is the challenge?

I think the main challenge is to seek efficient patterns of expected functionality in the interfaces we create. And these patterns must definitely include deaf people, their ways of interacting with web content, and the practices that make them feel included.

Often, digital product development teams, if somehow involved in providing accessible solutions, consider subtitles in videos and, very occasionally, transcriptions in common languages to be sufficient.

But the problem arises when we discover that there are, for example, deaf people who don't know any language other than their mother tongue, sign language.

Is web accessibility sufficiently prepared to face this challenge?

From the web accessibility of our content, we, web developers, what can we do about it?

When we need to incorporate a video, developers may think about including a transcription and subtitles if we have time or if someone has taken the time to do it (why not us? Isn't it just another feature of accessible video functionality?). There are online tools, some free, that create transcriptions from an mp4 video file. Maybe some adjustments are needed here and there, but the bulk of the work is done. And if we still don't have the time or resources to do it, let's opt for popular platforms like YouTube or Facebook that are evolving towards greater accessibility of audiovisual content for deaf or hard-of-hearing people.

And those in charge of projects where the audiovisual element plays a predominant role, it would be a safe bet to incorporate sign language interpreters for all recorded segments. Why not give more importance to sign language and sign language interpreters as a real possibility to make everything more inclusive?

Sign Language and Its Characteristics

Sign languages are complete and complex linguistic systems, with their own characteristics that differentiate them from spoken languages. They are a fundamental element for the communication, identity, and culture of deaf communities.

Sure, including sign language in an interface design can be a real challenge for the usual methods of creation, testing, and implementation of functionalities. But keep in mind the following: The WHO works with countries to promote the use of sign language in education and daily life.

Some of their characteristics:

1. Unlike spoken languages that use the auditory-oral channel, sign languages rely on the visual and gestural channel. The hands, arms, torso, and face are the main articulatory organs.

2. Signs often have an iconic component, meaning the shape of the sign has some relation to the meaning it conveys. For example, the sign for "bird" may involve moving the hands like wings.

3. Sign languages allow expressing several meanings at the same time, using different body articulators. For example, a sign can include hand shape, arm movement, facial expression, and spatial location.

4. Sign languages are not a simple translation of spoken languages into gestures. They have their own grammar, with rules and structures different from spoken languages.

5. Sign languages are not less expressive than spoken languages. They allow creativity, humor, and the expression of emotions through gestures, facial expressions, and body movements.

6. Like spoken languages, sign languages vary depending on the region of the world in which they are used. There are different sign languages in each country, and even within a single country, there may be different dialects.

7. Sign languages are the cultural heritage of deaf communities. They are a fundamental element for identity, social cohesion, and access to information and education for deaf people.

8. There is no single universal sign language. Each country or region has its own sign language, which is not understandable to users of other sign languages.

9. Sign languages are not an artificial or secondary communication system. They are natural languages with all the characteristics and complexity of spoken languages.

10. Deaf people have the right to use sign language and receive education and services in their mother tongue.

The WHO recognizes the importance of literacy for deaf people and has developed a series of resources to help countries improve literacy among deaf people.

The WHO also works with countries to improve the quality of education for deaf people and to promote the use of sign language in education and daily life.

Respect the Culture of the Deaf Community

We don't have to make websites for the deaf.

We don't have to adapt our websites for deaf people.

We have to create barrier-free interfaces.

For deaf people, for blind people like me, for all people equally, regardless of their abilities.

In the next article, we will explore the challenges faced by hard-of-hearing people who are not deaf, the improvements in device accessibility, existing aids, and future challenges.