Understanding cultural aspects of deaf communities in México towards the codesign of automatic sign language processing systems

Abstract

This paper reports findings from a study through which we seek to understand the socio-economic and cultural context of deaf communities in a city in México in order to inform the codesign of automatic sign language processing systems. We conducted eleven interviews in two school settings with three deaf persons who are sign language users and eight hearing persons who have close relationships with deaf persons. We designed interview scripts to collect data from deaf persons, parents, and sign language teachers and interpreters. In addition to demographic data, we collected data on experience with technology for communication use as well as salient cultural aspects. Key findings from our research relate to perceptions of study participants about themselves and their context: Socio-economic aspects are consistent with previous studies; cultural traits are central for communication, denote a strong sense of identity, and highlight the role of sight and perception. We also report on reflections that were facilitated by the application of existing schemes and frameworks, which allowed us to learn about communication hardships and workarounds, as well as the most important values for the community. These findings shed light on a path we want to further investigate, which aims to understand whether variations exist in the basic needs of deaf signers with respect to the codesign of ASLP systems, independently of the countries where they live.

Keywords

• deaf signers
• assistive technology
• culture
• values
• community