Evaluating the Usability of Automatically Generated Captions for People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

The accuracy of Automated Speech Recognition (ASR) technology has improved, but it is still imperfect in many settings. Researchers who evaluate ASR performance often focus on improving the Word Error Rate (WER) metric, but WER has been found to have little correlation with human-subject performance on many applications. We propose a new captioning-focused evaluation metric that better predicts the impact of ASR recognition errors on the usability of automatically generated captions for people who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH). Through a user study with 30 DHH users, we compared our new metric with the traditional WER metric on a caption usability evaluation task. In a side-by-side comparison of pairs of ASR text output (with identical WER), the texts preferred by our new metric were preferred by DHH participants. Further, our metric had significantly higher correlation with DHH participants' subjective scores on the usability of a caption, as compared to the correlation between WER metric and participant subjective scores. This new metric could be used to select ASR systems for captioning applications, and it may be a better metric for ASR researchers to consider when optimizing ASR systems.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, published in ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '17

Implementing standards and guidelines for C-Print in the secondary education of deaf students

This curriculum project was created in hopes of developing a set of guidelines that will strengthen the use of C-print and speech to text services at the K-12 level. The (1998) National Task force on Educational Interpreting released a report that outlined the job description, roles and responsibilities of all Educational Interpreters. In contract, C-print and speech to text services do not yet have a clear consensus or mandate on the roles and responsibilities involved in this service. This project attempts to address the strengths and weaknesses of implementing C-print in public schools. It also creates materials to better prepare teachers, students, and support personnel to use these services effectively in the K-12 demographic. The materials implemented in this project were created with the support and feedback of high school and college instructors, college, high school, and one middle school student, and with the ideas and support of C-Print service providers. These materials will help the provider and the Educational team supporting the C-print service have a more clear picture of what their respective roles and responsibilities are to implement this service successfully for all deaf and hard of hearing students

An identification of the Social and Emotional Needs of People Living with Post-Lingual Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is associated with challenges in achieving effective communication which can constrain an individual’s ability to participate in social and work environments, affecting their social and emotional well-being. Through a thematic analysis of focus groups, interview and survey responses from 41 people experiencing post-lingual hearing loss, we identified an overarching theme of adjusting to impaired communication and three sub-themes in which we were able to identify the unmet social and emotional needs of people who are hard of hearing. In light of our analysis we discuss and offer recommendations specific to meeting the needs of this population

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Individuals\u27 Perceptions of Communication with Hearing Colleagues in Small Groups

This survey-based study investigated the the perception of deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) individuals’ perceived need for technologies that may facilitate communication when meeting in small groups with hearing colleagues. Participants were 108 DHH postsecondary students who participated in co-op (internship) and capstone experiences at workplaces with hearing employees within the past two years. Participants’ responses to a survey indicated that they were generally not satisfied with their current strategies and technologies for communicating with hearing persons in small groups

Moving From Access to Inclusion by Making Communication a Priority

What does it mean to be a full participant in a faculty-student partnership? We tackled this question by considering disability identity and communication access as pivotal mindsets in facilitating not only pedagogical change in the college classroom, but also student transformation into change agents. Via a series of semester-long FLCs, we used a partnership model to develop strategies aimed at increasing interaction and inclusion in postsecondary courses (Schley et al., 2021). The student partners were all deaf or hard of hearing (DHH), with a diverse set of communication preferences. Faculty partners were also diverse: some were DHH though most were hearing; disciplinary areas included math and statistics, engineering, visual arts, psychology, and developmental writing

Avoiding communication barriers in the classroom: the APEINTA project

Education is a fundamental human right, however unfortunately not everybody has the same learning opportunities. For instance, if a student has hearing impairments, s/he could face communications barriers in the classroom, which could affect his/her learning process. APEINTA is a Spanish educational project that aims for inclusive education for all. This project proposes two main accessible initiatives: (1) real-time captioning and text-to-speech (TTS) services in the classroom and (2) accessible Web-learning platform out of the classroom with accessible digital resources. This paper presents the inclusive initiatives of APEINTA. Also an evaluation of the into-the-classroom initiative (real-time captioning and TTS services) is presented. This evaluation has been conducted during a regular undergraduate course at a university and during a seminar at an integration school for deaf children. Forty-five hearing students, 1 foreign student, 3 experts in captioning, usability and accessibility, and 20 students with hearing impairments evaluated these services in the classroom. Evaluation results show that these initiatives are adequate to be used in the classroom and that students are satisfied with them.Publicad

On Equal Footing? A study on how adult members of the Deaf and hard of hearing community (in the United States) perceive that the procurement, use, or absence of assistive technology has influenced their lives

Technology has changed each of our lives, that is certain. Findings from previous studies about assistive technology plus personal interviews and a survey were used for this interpretive phenomenological study. Interviews were conducted with people associated with the researcher’s work. Existing literature regarding assistive technology produced themes revolving around systemic policies & practices, various types of assistive technology, the users of assistive technology themselves (situation, age, circumstances, etc.), and the impact of assistive technology. The last theme is the focus of this qualitative study: how adult members of the Deaf and hard of hearing community’s lives have been affected by assistive technology. The devices and services mentioned by the participants are explained and/or illustrated. Comments made by the interviewees are divided into two arenas: the effects of using assistive technology and the effects of not having it. Assistive technology has helped to create a much better life for the interviewees overall, in their opinion. Each expressed that they feel a part of the larger society, can be successful at work, can know and be known, and look forward to what the future holds, albeit with some concerns. This study shows that although technology has improved their lives, equal footing for them (& others) in a hearing world may not have arrived yet

In Our Own Voice: The Use of Focus Groups to Describe Mental Health Care Experiences of Persons with Hearing Loss in Allegheny County

Disparities in access to mental health care for persons with hearing loss are significant public health problems. Despite federal mandates such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Deaf, Deafblind and hard-of hearing populations remain greatly underserved. There is limited data available that define the obstacles that account for these differences. There is a great need for formative research to advance a better understanding of these issues. In Allegheny County persons with hearing loss receive mental health services at a rate far less than the hearing population. A series of focus groups were convened to gather qualitative data to explore perceptions of mental health services and identify any barriers to care and ideas for expansion of existing services. The results of the groups suggest that while there are some differences among the three populations in regard to specific barriers to care, all three populations expressed a lack of knowledge regarding where services exist and how to acquire mental health related information. Many opportunities exist to advance the mental health needs of persons with hearing loss in Allegheny County. One is to develop a standardized protocol for both assessment and treatment of persons with hearing loss within all county mental health centers and physician private practices, including any social supports which exist outside the mental health system. This protocol would make information available regarding where mental health services can be obtained, how they can be accessed, and what kind of accommodations are necessary. Much needs to be done to begin to address the disparities that exist within the mental health system for all persons with hearing loss. Understanding what must be done is only the first step. It will take a commitment from many agencies within Allegheny County to realize a service delivery system that meets the needs of persons with hearing loss that is truly recovery-oriented