telecommunications bridging between deaf and hearing users in south africa meryl glaser department...
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Telecommunications Bridging between Deaf and Hearing Users in South Africa
Meryl GlaserDepartment of Health and Rehabilitation
Faculty of Health SciencesUniversity of Cape Town
William D. TuckerBridging Applications and Networks Group (BANG)
Department of Computer ScienceUniversity of the Western Cape
CVHI 2004, Granada, Spain June 29 - July 2, 2004
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Overview
There is a whole range of developed world possibilities.
The South African Digital Divide strongly influences telecommunications for the Deaf.
Based on these Digital Divide conditions, we have come up with social and technical innovations.
These innovations are conceptualised in an abstract Internet-based communications framework called the SoftBridge.
One of the applications of the SoftBridge is a semi-automated relay for Deaf Telephony.
We are trialing this application in the field at the Deaf Community of Cape Town.
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Introduction
Proliferation of options for Deaf telecommunications
• Multi-modal communications on the Internet: text, voice & video
• Multi-functional and wireless devices: PC, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), mobile handsets, text telephones
• Convergence of the telephone network & Internet
These solutions work when both Deaf and hearing users use the same
• Capabilities
• Modalities
• Service interfaces
• Devices
• Networks
Differences in any of these require some form of bridging
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Bridging for the Deaf via Relay
Telephone and cellular mobile
Internet
Text text telephone
TTY
Chat
Instant Messaging
Sign language Video Conferencing
Web video conferencing
Relay Operator bridges voice to/from with
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Pre-requisites Components
Awareness
Availability
Accessibility
Affordability
Appropriateness}Network Access
Landline, mobile, Internet access, broadband
End-user Devicesmobile devices: cellphone, PDA
PC, laptop, videophones
User InterfacesSoftware and hardware interface
Communication Modalitiestext, voice & video
Human & automated relay
User CapabilitesSensory, Sign Language, Text & ICT literacy
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Local South African Digital Divide
• Population 45 million
• 45% rural
• Mixed developed and developing world
• 14 million cell users, 4 million landline
• 2 of 3 sharing handsets or using community phones
• 50% of households have no phone in dwelling
• 10% have no access to a phone at all
• Legacy of differentiated access
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Another Example: The Phone Gap
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Global Digital Divide
Per 100 people
Phone/cell 41 143
PCs 7.26 40
Internet users 6.82 42
2002 figures from unstats.un.org/unsd/databases.htm
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South African Deaf Demographics
Estimates range from 4 million to 380,000
• Depends on definitions of severity
• Deaf here means South African Sign Language (SASL) as the preferred language
Deaf community
• 30% of Deaf adults are functionally illiterate
• 65% of all Deaf adults are unemployed
• Many are underemployed
• Impacts on socio-economic status
All adds up to little or no ICT access or literacy
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Deaf Telephony in South Africa
Deaf people have little or nothing at all
• 3rd party mediation over the telephone networkTeldem
• Extremely small connectivity circle (650 at best)SMS on cellphones, even landlines (coming!)
• Not synchronous or reliable
• ExpensiveTISSA – Telephone Interpreting Service South Africa
• 6 month government-funded pilot finishedEmail, Instant Messaging, Video Conferencing
• Digital Divide issues: access, literacy, expense
No relay service
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Motivation for our Approach
In light of the South Africa situation, our aims are to:
• Increase connectivity options to the Deaf
• Provide synchronous communication
• Fully automate the relay
• Provide low-cost solutions
• Offer multi-media and multi-functional capacity
• Support mobility
• Establish community-based rather than individualist model
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The SoftBridge concept
DeviceInterfaceModality
User
DeviceInterfaceModality
User
Network Network
Abstracted communication system
Semi-synchronous
• Synchronous when possible
• Asynchronous otherwise
• Inspired by Instant Messaging, SMS and email
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DeviceInterfaceModality
User
DeviceInterfaceModality
User
Network Network
Deaf User Hearing User
voice
audio
handset
Telephone
text
GUI
PC
Internet
Spoken EnglishWritten English
A softbridge application: Deaf Telephony
Semi-automated relay with an Instant Messaging delivery systemExamples
• Hearing user intiates conversation
• Deaf user initiates conversation
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Field Trials with end-users
Pilot trials with ICT-literate Deaf user in the lab
Recent activity with the Deaf Community of Cape Town
• Installed community PCs in the Deaf community centre
• Trained 20 Deaf people in basic ICT skills
• Added Wizard of Oz functionality to combat poor Automatic Speech Recognition
• System instrumented to collect system and user usage metrics
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Future Work
Action Research and software development cycles to change & improve functionality and interfaces for Deaf and hearing end-users
South African Sign Language with video as a bridged modality
Mobility with Wireless LAN (WiFi) and GSM/GPRS
• PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants, e.g. Palm, Pocket PC)
• Cellular handsets
Guaranteed delivery of messages, e.g. emergency services
Carrier-grade functionality to make service attractive to service providers
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Sponsors and Partners
Muchas gracias: Deaf Community of Cape Town participants, John Lewis, Jason Penton
[email protected]@cs.uct.ac.za