Making web content accessible for the deaf via sign language

Abstract

Purpose This paper seeks to show the special needs of deaf people to have a barrier‐free access to the internet and its services and benefit from it. It aims to give explanations why deaf people need sign language on the web as a replacement for acoustic and written content and to present today's solutions to realize it. Design/methodology/approach This is a comparison and confrontation of today's research on the topic, influenced by the author's opinion. Findings Deaf people need sign language on the web to have full access to acoustic and written content. Sign‐language‐videos with human interpreters are today's common solution. There is a lot of research and projects with avatar‐technologies to overcome the limits of sign‐language‐videos, but the possibilities of this solution are still restricted. Social implications This paper seeks to draw attention to the special need of deaf people, their restrictions in reading and writing and why sign language is the crucial factor to include deaf people in the information society. Originality/value This paper confronts the actual solutions of the topic and shows their advantages and limits.

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