We had some special guests in the Mindfly studio yesterday. Joel Bergsbaken and James Christianson, Jr. of the Hearing, Speech & Deafness Center came by to give a presentation called “Natural Diversity: Communications Differences.” This training was a thoughtful, informative experience for everyone on the team, and I think it will help all of us learn to communicate a little bit better, as everyone here has different learning styles and prefers to communicate (orally, visually, Twitterly) in a different way.
The most interesting point that I took away from yesterday’s conversation was about the many differences between Hearing and Deaf Cultures, and the very fact that we have different “cultures” at all. I usually think that the word culture refers to the traditions of historical era, or the customs of residents in other countries; I don’t think of people in my town, or in my workplace, as having a different culture than mine. But now that I’m aware of it, hopefully I will become more conscious of how to break down some of the barriers that might separate the Hearing and the Deaf.
I’ve also started thinking about how websites fit in to all of this. Websites are generally considered to be a visual medium; you don’t need to hear or speak to glean information from a website. But think about how many websites also incorporate music and videos with sound on their pages to emphasize a point. And another fact I learned yesterday is that American Sign Language is the primary language for many Deaf individuals, and English as a written language might be a second or third language, or maybe not at all. Written words might not always be the most comfortable way for a Deaf person to communicate, whether they are receiving or providing information.
Focusing on the use of visuals is especially important on a website because you’re not simply making a website that “looks nice”; you’re making pages that will be more accessible for people, Deaf or Hearing, who rely primarily on visual cues to figure out what your site is about.
For Neighborhood-Kids.com Activities, I’m constantly searching for images that will provide a graphic clue about the activity. A photograph of a little girl playing soccer will hopefully alert the viewer that this is an activity for kids who want to take soccer lessons, prompting them to click on the link to get more information.
I found another great example that uses both text and images to communicate information on a recent Mindfly design for Escape Cord. The smiling crab lets the viewer know that the cotton cord is the “right” choice, while the crying crab indicates the “wrong” choice (a synthetic cord). It’s a pretty basic concept, but universally understood.
If you’re interested in learning more about local resources for Deaf and Hard of Hearing services, visit HSDC Bellingham to find all their contact information.
Oh, and maybe the most crucial bit of information I learned yesterday? The ASL signs for “Starbucks” and “coffee.” Definitely essential around this place.
