Visitors Who Are Deaf or Hearing-Impaired

Background

Almost 20% of Americans older than 11 experience some degree of hearing loss that affects their daily life.  That number is a bit staggering.  As museum professionals, we need to be aware that one fifth of our potential audience may need some help to hear the content we present to them.

It should be noted that the Deaf community (capitalization indicates a cultural identity, rather than the condition of being “deaf”) prefers using the word “deaf” over the phrase “hearing-impaired,” due to the negative implication of the latter.  Deaf culture has very specific values and a strong sense of identity; for people who were not born deaf, that culture can feel extremely exclusive and unwelcoming.  

A large part of the Deaf cultural identity, at least in America, centers around the use of American Sign Language.  While it is impossible to truthfully generalize a group of people, most of the Deaf community does not condone the use of cochlear implants or regular spoken communication, perceiving these things to be a rejection of the inborn way that deaf people experience the world.

However, because deaf and hearing-impaired people use a multitude of methods to function in society, from hearing aids to lip-reading to sign language interpretation, it is important that museums provide options that will serve the full range of hearing abilities.

Considerations

The most obvious way to give deaf people access to museum exhibits and programs is the use of printed text that visitors can read.  However, people with hearing impairments often use many other visual cues, such as facial expressions and movement in space, to grasp the meaning of what is being communicated.  Many hearing-impaired visitors will not want to simply read text to get information; they will prefer a more personal and interactive way of understanding and participating in museum programs or exhibits.

With that in mind, the following is a brief list of ways that museums can make their content accessible to people with all degrees of hearing loss:
- Provide written information in guides and exhibits
- Include captioning on any video or auditory components
- Have sign language interpretation available for tours and programs
- Hold events specifically for people with hearing loss so they can connect with others like themselves and develop their sense of community
- Make use of assistive listening devices, such as headphones that connect to a docent’s microphone during gallery talks and tours
- Create programs with multi-sensory components, so that information is presented in visual and tactile ways in addition to auditory explanations and discussion
- Put videos of sign-language programs on the museum’s website
- Make sign-language video guides that visitors can download to their mobile devices or borrow from the museum and view while in a exhibit

Case studies

Jumping off from that last item on the list, Catharine McNally has made a business out of creating exactly that type of video guide.  McNally has always loved museums but, as a lifelong deaf person, she realized that written materials were often the only form of interpretation that was offered to her.

As she said in an interview with Michael Janger for Abled Body, “I was visiting a museum in Washington, D.C., and the information desk handed me a pile of paper transcripts so I could follow along with the audio guide.  I went home and video recorded a version of the commentary in cued speech [mouth movements of speech combined with hand signals, or cues] as video clips, and then went back the next day and viewed it on my iPod.  It was a transformative experience for me.”  

McNally’s company, Keen Guides, creates and distributes video museum guides that can be downloaded onto Smart Phones.  Her goal is to make museums accessible in many ways, including foreign languages and multiple forms of visual communication.  She has partnered with organizations like public television and DC By Foot to create her video guides.  Keen Guides is also developing video versions of campus tours at schools like Gallaudet University, which is a federally-chartered college devoted to the education of deaf and hearing-impaired students.

Where do we go from here?

For museums, reaching visitors with hearing impairments is not as straightforward as it might first seem.  However, by working with the people we intend to serve, we can hear their specific needs and preferences for the form that interpretive materials and services will take.  How do we contact members of the Deaf community and create partnerships with them?  How do we embrace the ways that people with hearing impairments best function?  

Sources
Hearing Loss Association of America
Accessibility for the Deaf Community in Art Museums
Abled Body: Keen Guides