Towards Inclusive Research and Resources in American Signed Languages

Abstract

Creating high-quality resources that are easily accessible in American Sign Language (ASL) is important and valuable to the Deaf community. Simply adding videos to an English-centric user interface layout leads to unsatisfactory results because language conventions and differences in intuition create varying scanning patterns and expectations regarding the information's placement and presentation. Therefore, design choices regarding the videos and their surroundings must be made to overcome this challenge. In this work, we design interfaces that do not rely on English fluency. By promoting the widespread use and availability of well-designed ASL resources, we aim to support increased access and representation of ASL online materials for members of the Deaf community. We are developing an ASL-centric survey tool that would enable users to take surveys in ASL. Our objective is to study design elements that can help users navigate resources intuitively without relying on English. Lastly, we hope to contribute to cultivating access to collaborative human-centered methods and research by closely reflecting on HCI methods and moving towards creating a guideline to carry out research in ASL.