The use of automatic text simplification to provide reading assistance to deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in computing fields

Abstract

Automatic Text Simplification (ATS) aims to rewrite text in a way that reduces its linguistic complexity while preserving its original meaning. While some prior research has explored using ATS to provide reading assistance to different user groups, relatively little work has investigated its use for Deaf and Hard-of-hearing (DHH) adults or readers in a particular domain. In this project, we investigate the use of ATS-based reading assistance tools for DHH individuals in the computing and information technology (IT) fields, motivated by prior work suggesting that computing professions often require reading about new technologies in order to stay current in the profession. Employing a variety of research methods, we investigate questions including the needs and interests of DHH individuals in the computing and IT fields for ATS-based reading assistance tools and their preferences for different interface parameters of these tools. We also investigate how to evaluate these technologies with this particular user group and how they may benefit from using these tools. This summary presents the motivation for this work, positions it in the context of the related literature, and outlines the proposed solution, our current progress and the project's contributions.