Why Sign Language Technology Lags Behind Other Accessibility Tools

Accessibility technology has made huge leaps over the past 40 years but not equally for everyone. Here’s how the focus evolved:

Timeline – Assistive Tech Priorities

1980s–1990s

• Driven by charities, medical models, and government grants

• Focus: reading, writing, mobility, speech

• Early tools: screen readers, braille displays, basic speech recognition

• Result: Big gains for blind, dyslexic, and motor-impaired users

Deaf Community in This Era

• Included in “disability” laws, but under a medical model (“fix hearing loss”)

• Tech focus: hearing aids, cochlear implants, basic captioning

• No investment in sign language technology

  
  

2000s–2010s

• Speech-to-text and voice control tools improve dramatically

• Mobile accessibility grows (smartphones, voice assistants)

• Funding follows markets that serve the most users

• Deaf access largely remains human interpreters + captions

  
  

2020s

• AI transforms speech and text accessibility

• Real-time transcription, translation, and adaptive learning aids

• Still no mainstream AI for live sign language translation

• Sign language is seen as “too complex” or “too niche” by many companies

  
  

Why This Gap Exists

• Smaller perceived user base

• Linguistic complexity (facial expressions, 3D space, regional differences)

• Hearing-led design with little Deaf leadership

• Assumption that human interpreters are enough

  
  

The Result: While tech for other disabilities has advanced rapidly, sign language accessibility is decades behind, not because it’s impossible, but because it hasn’t been prioritised.

The Challenge: AI can now handle voice, text, and even images in real time. It’s time to apply that same innovation to BSL, ASL, and other sign languages, and do it with Deaf leadership.

#Accessibility #DeafAwareness #Inclusion #AssistiveTechnology #ArtificialIntelligence #SignLanguage