Semi-transparent video interfaces to assist deaf persons in meetings

ABSTRACT

Meetings are a vital part of participation in social activities. For a deaf person who does not understand spoken language, following a discourse at meetings can become confusing if there are too many simultaneous sources of information. When the person focuses on one source of information, he misses information from another source; for example, while looking at a presenter's slides, the person misses information from the signing interpreter. Using semi-transparent video technology we have developed two applications to assist the deaf in local group meetings and remote personal meetings. The features of the applications were iteratively designed, as we incorporated feedback from the Deaf community. This research is an extension of our Facetop research project, which applies semi-transparent video for people without sensory disabilities.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.1 Multimedia Information Systems

Additional Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.4 COMPUTERS AND SOCIETY
      K.4.2 Social Issues
          Subjects: Assistive technologies for persons with disabilities

General Terms:
Design

Keywords:
assistive technology for deaf, meeting accommodations, semi-transparent video, videoconferencing