Sign Language Technology for the Deaf in Public Settings

Introduction

The purpose of this paper is to provide background and a conceptual framework for a research proposal on the provision of sign language in public settings for people who are deaf.

Communication Barriers Across Settings

Writing notes as a way to communicate with people who are deaf is convenient for people with normal hearing and is commonly recommended by people with normal hearing. In the world of hearing people, note writing as a communication strategy is widespread — yet it is frequently inadequate.

Employers are often advised to supplement their communication with employees who are deaf by writing notes. For example, Equal Access Communication, an advocacy organization, suggests that supervisors may wish to keep a whiteboard or chalkboard near the work area of an employee who is deaf. The supervisor is reminded to keep writing simple and concise, first establishing the subject to be discussed and then providing an explanation. The supervisor is also reminded that a person who is deaf may experience difficulties understanding idioms or double negatives, such as "I never told you you couldn't do that."

This advice is well meaning, but it is inadequate because it does not establish the reasons why a person who is deaf may have difficulties with written language. This omission can lead to misperceptions about people who are deaf.

Dentists and healthcare providers often wear masks when directly providing care to patients. For people who are deaf, this can present a hardship and impact the critically important communication that occurs between a doctor and a patient, or a dentist and a patient. If the person who is deaf can lip read, wearing a mask precludes use of that skill entirely. Even if the patient who is deaf is unable to read lips, he or she will be unable to interpret much of the non-verbal communication that comes from seeing and reading facial expressions.

Additionally, as one sign language interpreter emphasizes, if a person who is deaf agrees to use note writing as a means of communication in a healthcare setting, writing in "broken" or incorrect English is an indication that an interpreter should be used for future communication. In fact, healthcare personnel should determine whether the appointment should continue that day or be rescheduled for a time when an interpreter will be present for the entire visit.

Writing notes and lip reading may be effective modes of communication for simple situations such as making appointments or giving directions to a different location. However, the complex communication that occurs in legal settings is filled with specialized terminology and legal language that will be unfamiliar to many people who are deaf. For this reason, family members should not be used as interpreters in legal situations. It is likely that a family member will not understand or correctly interpret much of the legal terminology; additionally, family members may have emotional or personal involvement that colors their communication. Confidentiality can also be a concern.

ASL as a Distinct Language

Lip reading is not recommended in legal situations, even when people who are deaf indicate that they are proficient lip readers. Under normal conditions, only about one-third of spoken words are understood by lip readers. When communication involves legal considerations and unfamiliar or complex legal terms, "even an adept lip-reader will miss upward of 70 percent of spoken English words" (Teplin, 2008).

Writing notes in English or relying on lip reading of spoken English in order to communicate with people who are deaf or hard of hearing is quite common, but it can result in confusing or frustrating communication. For most people in the United States who are deaf, English has been learned as a second language. American Sign Language (ASL) is generally learned first by children who are deaf from their parents and family members. The grammatical structure of English and ASL differ substantially, so learning to read and write in English presents a genuine challenge to children who are deaf or hard of hearing. These children may never attain the same levels of proficiency in reading and writing English as their hearing peers. These differences are attributable to bilingualism or bimodalism and are completely unrelated to innate intelligence (Emmorey, Borinstein, & Thompson, n.d.).

To bridge the gap between ASL and English, another form of sign language was developed. This version is called Seeing Exact English (SEE), and its structure exactly parallels that of spoken and written English. SEE is commonly used in school systems with young children who are deaf or hard of hearing as a way to promote learning to read, write, and — where appropriate — speak English. However, SEE is not widely accepted or used within the community and culture of people who are deaf.

Most people who are deaf must rely on interpreters in situations where every word is important and word meanings must be exact. Interpreters are commonly considered expensive, and many services that people who are deaf must access do not willingly provide them, even though the Americans with Disabilities Act requires that communication services provided to people who are deaf be "as effective as communication with others" (Teplin, 2008).