Hearing Impairements

Integrating Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals

Deafness

1. Incapacity of perceiving sounds; the state of the organs which prevents the impression which constitute hearing; want of the sense of hearing. Source: [Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary]

People who are deaf or hard-of-hearing have a range of hearing loss. Some people are congenitally deaf while others lose their hearing later in life. The diversity of this community is reflected in the variety of ways available to make audible information accessible. These individuals require visual representations of auditory information. Many communication access improvements are inexpensive and easy to implement. Useful communication tools may be as simple as providing paper and pencil for writing brief messages.

Videoclip of a “guitarist” graphically playing rock, by UT MFA in Art student Erick Michaud. You will need the Quicktime player to view this videoclip.

For those people who are hard of hearing, providing visitor-operated volume controls like the “audio tour” with headphones can help them hear at above-average volume. Individual volume controls on hand-held audio receivers provide additional access to music for this audience.

The Texas History Museum Acoustic Guide is a versatile device, it describes the main exhibition area displays as well as allowing visually impaired visitors to hear complimentary information.

Technologies to help inclusion

In addition to acoustic tours, handhelds are being incorporated into museum exhibits, like the “iTour” currently being tested at the Blanton Museum of Art. These portable devices present the information visually, as well as playback video and audio with extended descriptions of the artifacts and the artists commenting about their work.

“iTour” handheld, Blanton Museum of Art

Blanton Museum of Art “iTour” research study

In an interview with Glenda Simms (Systems Analyst, UT Information Technology Services) she describes the process of adapting a technological device (like the iTour
handheld) to let people with disabilities experience an exhibit.

“While the handheld computers are not accessible, we always knew that if we designed the iTour application using Flash that we could port the entire application to the web where a person with a disability could easily use their adaptive technology on their own PC. (screen reader, alternative keyboards, alternative mouse, voice recognition, etc).
Since the iTour was a temporary research project, we did not have enough resources available to make the online version accessible. But we did prove that we could make it accessible. Another wonderful museum guide company, Antenna Audio, has developed some very good accessibility options. Their options include Audio Tours for the visually impaired visitor, Virtual Tours for increased access and Sign Language Guides for Deaf visitors.
Last, but not least, there is always the ability for any visitor to request a real human being to guide them through the museum. While technology options are great, you just can't beat the service that a real human can provide. This certainly needs to be on the list as a valuable resource for all visitors (with or without disabilities)”.

Audiovisuals and Interactives

For people who are deaf or hard of hearing to understand presentations with a narrative soundtrack, they need a print translation of the narration. This print can either be open or closed captioning or a verbatim transcript. Audio-only programs require a printed text; ambient soundtracks should be described in a label. [Smithsonian Institution] The primary concern is to ensure that audio output information is provided in a redundant equivalent visual form.

Roz, Video Installation by Burt Barr, 2004. You will need the Quicktime player to view this videoclip.

Captioning

Captioning is the visual display of spoken material. It is, by far, the most effective method of presenting narration in print. It allows people to watch the images and the text simultaneously. A script requires a back-and-forth effort between the screen and the script. It also requires a minimum of 16-point type, visual cuing to scenes and key points, and sufficient lighting for reading. Captioning should also identify who is speaking and indicate non-verbal cues such as sound effects, laughter and music. Individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, who do not know sign language and cannot use assistive listening systems will benefit from captioning.

Open captioning

Translates the audio portion of a video into visible subtitles; it is preferred by most people and much more user-friendly. With open captioning there are no buttons to push and it is less likely to be subject to technical difficulties and mechanical breakdown. Open captioning also benefits children learning to read, nonnative speakers who may find written language easier to understand than spoken language, as well as the general public in a noisy environment.

Closed captioning

Requires a decoding capability for display on a standard television receiver and can be switched on and off by the visitor on demand. Closed captioning is frequently used for television broadcasts, videotapes and DVDs. Cultural organizations often use closed captioning for video presentations with a sign next to the video display stating, “Press the button to view this video with captioning.”

Indian exhibit with open captioning at Texas History Museum

Sign language

Many people who are deaf or who lose their hearing use American Sign Language (ASL) and are very proud of the deaf culture that accompanies the use of ASL. American Sign Language is a complete language, with its own grammatical structure and syntax. Other deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals may use speechreading (commonly known as lipreading).

Interpreters

People who are deaf or hard-of-hearing may request interpreting services to ensure full participation in events, meetings and conversations. Interpreters will interpret between spoken English and American Sign Language (ASL), Manually Coded English, or Cued Speech. To ensure effective communication, consult the person who is deaf or hard-of-hearing on their preferred method. [Design for Accessibility, National Endowment for the Arts]

Recommendations

• Include transcript for any audio materials (in a print format).
• Include synchronized captions for any video materials.
• When content is narrative, provide sign language description.
• When content is verbal, provide captions.

References