Tim Scannell, Accessibility Consultant:

Enhancing Access for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing by Focusing on Sign Language, Digital Accessibility, and Information Access for Everyone.

A Deaf and Sign Language-Led authority is needed in sign language AI — now. As AI systems involving sign language become more visible, progress alone is no longer enough. What is increasingly missing from the conversation is linguistic authority . Sign languages are not motion systems. They are full languages , dependent on: manual dexterity spatial grammar context culture lived Deaf expertise Without Deaf-led authority, AI risks producing outputs that are technically impr

Artificial Intelligence is transforming communication — but for sign languages, the most important truth is this: AI cannot understand sign language without Deaf people leading its design. This is not about replacing human interpreters.It is about creating new AI careers where Deaf professionals are builders, validators, and decision-makers . 1. New Job Areas for Deaf Sign Language Users (MediaPipe-Focused) Entirely new roles are emerging as AI systems begin to work with vi

I recently watched a powerful video by the CODA brothers signing in ASL. I can’t share the video directly, but it left me thinking deeply about how AI interacts with sign languages. Here's the reality: AI is not ready for ASL. Facial expressions and body language are crucial in ASL - they’re not just "extra," they carry grammar and emotion . Even your nose , eyebrows, eye gaze, mouth shapes, and shoulder movement add layers of meaning, just like an actor's expression in a mo