An Educator’s Guide to
Hearing Disabilities
And Technology Use
Written by: Cheryl Cheifetz
Introduction
Ten percent of Americans, or 28 million people, are deaf or hard of hearing. (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2005) As computers and the Internet continue to evolve, so must assistive technology for those with hearing disabilities. Schools are obligated to be aware of this as they proceed to implement innovative technology in the classroom.
General guidelines
The document entitled Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 was created by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) which develops specifications, guidelines, software, and tools that aid in website development. It contains specific criteria that would make Web based material accessible to people with a range of disabilities including deafness and hearing loss. The document is considered a work in progress and can be viewed at http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/ in its most recently updated form dated June 30, 2005. It discusses four main principles:
1. Content must be perceivable.
2. Interface elements in the content must be operable
3. Content and controls must be understandable
4. Content must be robust enough to work with current and future technologies
These principles are generally necessary for anyone to access a website, but are even more specific when dealing with a student with hearing disabilities. Some essentials include: providing text alternatives for non-text material, making it easier to distinguish foreground information from background sounds, and to ensure that user interfaces are accessible or provide an accessible alternative. (Caldwell, et al., 2005)
Issues
The development of closed captioning in 1980 was a major breakthrough in accessibility for the deaf and hard of hearing. As of January 2006, television programming is required by the government to be closed captioned for 20 hours per day, or 100% of programming time. (Scher, 2005) For millions of viewers in countries who use the Roman alphabet, this is quite significant. On the Internet, SAMI files can assist in closed captioning of multimedia to be available even more universally. Microsoft created SAMI (Sychronized Accessible Media Interchange) in order to simplify captioning and make it useable world wide. It is a textfile that runs concurrently with digital media and can translate to different languages. Another translation program is Synchronized Multimedia Integration Lanugage (SMILTM). It is an HTML-like language that allows writers to describe something in real-time, as it is being shown on screen. SMILTM currently translates into Chinese, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Portuguese.
Assistive Technology
Common equipment used with computers today includes the following:
Ø PC teletypewriters (PC TTYs) – allows conversations on the computer
Ø Network TTYs – provides LAN/WAN TTY communication
Ø Relay Conference Captioning (RCC) – real-time text is streamed to Internet users for meetings, videoconferences, etc.
Ø Video Communication Devices for Video Relay Services – provides relay services through the use of sign language
Ø Signaling Devices – lights or vibrations can signal computer cues
Ø Computer-Aided Real-Time (CART) Reporters – personal transcribers
For more details about any of these adaptors, see Accommodation Solutions or an earlier version of this White Paper.
New Technology Options
Since July 1993, all new televisions are equipped with closed captioning decoders to allow people with hearing disabilities to read along with whatever is being presented. (“Closed Captions”, 2005) This is helpful in a classroom when showing videos, but does not meet computer access needs. Georgia Tech Research Institute has recently developed a captioning system based on mobile wireless technology. It is an apparatus that is recommended for a variety of settings including classrooms, movie theaters, museums, and places of worship. The software component, COMMplementsTM, is being produced by Peacock Communications, Inc. of Atlanta. Captions would be sent from a transmitter provided by a particular venue to a receiver, such as a personal digital assistant or a lap-top computer. You could bring your own, or venues may provide them. In addition, there are micro-displays which plug into either of these options and connect to a person’s glasses or a headband. This option produces text that “floated” slightly in front of the viewer. (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2005) In a classroom, this technology would easily provide access to lectures and discussions for hearing disabled students.
Georgia Tech Photo: Gary Meek
NXi Communications has just released NexTalk.net, a service which provides connections to their Internet phone system. This would allow the user to exchange “calls” with anyone else on the Internet. For the interactive classroom, this would be a welcome addition.
Another new device is being tested at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Trace Research and Development Center at the University of Wisconsin developed a system to allow the sending and receiving of messages at Paging Assistance Locations (PALs) within the airport. They provide a text screen with the same announcements being heard by the general public. The PALs also provide an audio version of what is on the screen. Another accommodation is an EZ Access keypad which only involves a few buttons used to navigate the screen. (Vanderheiden, 2005) EZ Access Technology was created by Trace and can be applied to a number of interactive electronic systems to assist those with a variety of disabilities in using technology. In the future, this system could be useful in schools which currently use the public address system for announcements and possibly for lectures as well.
Finally, Speche Communications has eScription™. This product allows the deaf and hard of hearing community to view streaming text of broadcast events or webcasts. This is ideal for students enrolled in Internet based courses that involve lectures.
For more information on hearing loss, Hypermedia instruction, and telecommunications devices, please review the 1999 White Paper. For further classroom tips and guidelines, please review the 2002 Addendum.
Recommended sites
ASLpah Homepage – presents innovations that allow you to view a webpage completely in sign language
Gallaudet Media Distribution – explanation of captioning
Harris Communications – source for products for deaf and hearing disabled people
Captioned Media Program – site funded by the U.S. Department of Education for free-loan media material, as well as materials and information about captioning
Set Internet Options for People with Hearing Impairments – Microsoft tutorial
Adjust Settings and Utilities – Microsoft tutorials for mouse, sound, keyboard, display, speech, on-screen keyboard, narrator, and magnifier options
Media Access Group at WGBH – delivers accessible media to disabled students, teachers, adults, family, and friends
National Captioning Institute – delivers effective captioning services, explores and develops future of these services for the benefit of people who require additional access to auditory and visual information
Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing - comprehensive site for people that are deaf or hearing disabled and their families
Designing More Usable Websites – links to innumerable sites that aid in creating accessible websites
References
Caldwell, Ben, et at. “W3C Working Draft”. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0. 30 June 2005. 17 July 2005. < http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/ >
“Closed Captions”. KLRU-TV-Central Texas. 2005. 26 July 2005. <http://www.klru.org/teachers/closed_captions.asp>
Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program. Accommodation Solutions. 22 July 2005. U.S. Department of Defense. 27 July 2005. <http://www.tricare.osd.mil/cap/acc_proc/acc_learn_assist_deaf.cfm>
Georgia Institute of Technology. “Virtual Voices”. PhysOrg.com. 15 April 2005. 24 July 2005. <http://www.physorg.com/news3737.html>
Microsoft Corporation. “Understanding SAMI 1.0”. msdn. February 2003. 30 July 2005. <http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnacc/html/atg_samiarticle.asp>
NXi Communications. “What’s New at NXi?” 2005. 30 July 2005. <http://www.nxicom.com/about/newsreleases.html>
Sara-Serrano, Maria Cristina, and Dr. John R. Mathiason. “The Standard Rules: A Short Tour.” WorldEnable: Internet Accessibility Initiative. 24 April 2004. 17 July 2005. <http://www.worldenable.net/standardrules/Default.htm>
Scher, Steve. “NCI Celebrates 25th Anniversary”. News from the NCI Foundation. Spring 2005. 24 July 2005. <http://www.ncihelpdesk.org/>
Vanderheiden, Kate. “News and Events: EZ Access Featured in Accessible Airport Paging System”. Trace Research & Development Center. 30 March 2005. 26 July 2005. <http://trace.wisc.edu/news/archives/000205.htm#000205>
“Welcome to Speche Communications”. Speche Communications. 2003. 30 July 2005. <http://www.speche.com/>