Hidden Figures Ⅱ
ZHENG Xuan: Leaving the community and participating
in the technology of sign language linguistics is ineffective.
ZHENG Xuan, deaf, bilingual (spoken and signed languages), PhD in linguistics, professor
There are technical challenges in digitizing sign language:
Many developers are driven by emotion and philanthropy, possibly overlooking the professionalism of sign language.
Sign language, as a visual-spatial language, has significant differences in grammar rules compared to spoken language. While spoken language is sequential, sign language possesses both sequential and simultaneous elements.
Many sign language digitization efforts by technology companies still rely on the concatenation of signed Chinese, neglecting the unique grammatical structure and co-articulation of sign language.
Click on the video "button" to play video 1:
Signing avatars demonstration of "fish swimming in water" for Sign Language
Click on the video "button" to play video 2:
Human demonstration of the natural sign language of "fish swimming in water"
Model: ZHOU Mengting
Even more difficult than technology is to make technology companies understand the community:
Technology companies should conduct thorough market research and rigorous feasibility analysis at the beginning of the project and also need to obtain high-quality and massive language materials. During the research and development process, members of the Deaf community and sign language linguistics experts who provide domain knowledge are indispensable.
Technology companies should not only consider technology, as disability issues permeate all aspects of social life. When developing related products, we cannot avoid broader issues.
Click on the "button" to play the video:
Sign Language Club, Peking University Student's Loving Heart Sign Language Society. 2023 Spring Deaf Listening Exchange Activity Sign Language Club members welcome students from Beijing Union University.
Do we really need signing avatars?
The underlying issue is the extreme scarcity of high-quality sign language interpreters.
Sign language interpreting is not only about translating language but often acting as a mediator and coordinator of language and culture.
RONG Kaiyu, a master's degree graduate from the College of Engineering of Peking University in 2023, and a member of the Sign Language Club, Peking University Student's Loving Heart Sign Language Society.
The following figures show 16 professional sign language cartoon characters created by RONG Kaiyu
Dynamic teaching links for relevant sign language techniques:
Reference
The first page of ZHENG Xuan's paper
"Promoting the Professionalization of Chinese Sign Language Interpretation： Reflections on the Epidemic Situation of COVID-19."
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ZHENG Xuan. Promoting the Professionalization of Chinese Sign Language Interpretation：
Reflections on the Epidemic Situation of COVID-19[J].Disability Research,2020(01):24-32.
Quandt LC, Willis A, Schwenk M, Weeks K and Ferster R (2022) Attitudes Toward Signing Avatars Vary depending on Hearing Status, Age of Signed Language Acquisition, and Avatar Type. Front. Psychol. 13:730917. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg .2022.730917
ZOU Fei: Disability Inclusion within and outside the Google workplace
ZOU Fei, wheelchair user, R&D engineer, Google engineering manager with 50 team members, and co-founder of Google Disability Alliance China
Grassroots Group of people with disabilities within Google
I have a background in software development and am currently responsible for product development for mobile payments at Google. I am also a wheelchair user who lives with leg disabilities caused by polio when I was two years old. I have been a wheelchair user ever since.
In the past two years, I have initiated an employee group called the Disability Alliance within Google China, together with other volunteers. Inspired by Google's culture of diversity, equality, and inclusiveness, we mainly focus on three aspects: improving accessibility awareness of internal teams, providing employment support for disability inclusion, and the social impact of technological products.
The concept of accessibility should permeate the entire product development process.
Google follows a standardized testing process for accessibility internally. Before releasing our product features, we undergo accessibility testing to meet standards, including compatibility testing for screen reader software that considers the needs of users with visual disabilities. Some engineers may have confusion about accessibility and question why they should invest so much effort for a small number of users.
We aim to gain a better understanding of technology application scenarios, as well as the actual pain points and needs of people with disabilities, through empathy and awareness. By inviting groups from the disability community to share digital life cases, effective accessibility design can break down barriers between their daily lives and the world. This sense of meaning and mission helps everyone understand the positive value of accessibility.
Considering accessibility is not just about last-minute testing but should be integrated into the early stages of product design. This includes considerations for various aspects like color tone and interaction design to prevent last-minute changes.
Disability inclusion and diversity in the workplace
Previously, we collaborated with EasyInclusion to facilitate a program matching Google employees with students with disabilities for one-on-one career coaching. It was an interesting and inspiring experience for me. I discovered that all students have their unique strengths, and I saw aspects of myself in them, prompting me to consider how to better support this group in terms of professional skills and career development.
Starting this year, Google launched the gReach program, which aims to provide skill-building training opportunities for people with disabilities. This program offers the chance for individuals with disabilities to grow through daily onsite job experiences, aligning their needs with the company's requirements. It also enhances the possibility of them becoming full-time Google employees.
The emphasis on minority groups and the embrace of diversity culture reflect the corporate commitment to social responsibility and values. Moreover, a more diverse employee group and varied perspectives bring real value to innovation by fostering the development of various ideas.
How inclusive technology benefits everyone
Accessible products have universal benefits, with many originally designed to meet the needs of minority groups but ultimately proving helpful for everyone. For example, the design of ramps on sidewalks, initially created for wheelchair accessibility, benefits not only wheelchair users but also mothers with baby strollers and people carrying suitcases.
Google's commitment to "build for everyone" is exemplified by the inclusive approach to product development. Vinton Cerf, one of Google's vice presidents and the internet email pioneer, has a hearing disability. He and his wife, who also has a hearing disability, rely on written communication. They actively promote disability awareness in the internet field and introduced email, benefiting not only the people with hearing disabilities but everyone for improved communication.
I strongly believe that technology has the power to change and benefit the world. The key consideration should be how to make technology inclusive for everyone. While technology has its challenges, its advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. Many of the issues highlighted by technology are, in fact, human problems. By supporting each other and fostering an inclusive perspective, there are infinite possibilities in this world.
The following picture shows a group photo of participants in "A-Hundred-Day Plan" to empower professionals with visual disabilities in the workplace.
The following picture shows the group photo of participants in the Winter Paralympics-themed event with the NGO group.
WU Shaomei: Stuttering community can create their own technological future.
WU Shaomei, a person who stutters, technology developer, researcher, founder and CEO of non-profit organization AImpower.org
Technology creates barriers rather than convenience to certain groups.
Although the progress of technological products has made rapid progress, it has not brought forth equity within our society, and the gap between social classes and ethnic groups has increasingly widened instead.
Voice technology has been changing the way people who stutter (PWS) interact with the world in a structural way. Nowadays, many people who stutter feel anxious about making phone calls answered by artificial intelligence (AI).
People who stutter are a marginalized minority group.
As a woman, an immigrant, and an Asian person, I am already on the margins of the margins, and stuttering has further reinforced the intersectionality in my identity. After I became a mom, I more than ever aspired to be a role model for the kids to live their lives freely despite being a minority.
My experience of being a person who stutters shares a resemblance with my time working as a software engineer in an American technology company. For a long time, my survival strategy was to try to "pass": striving to mask my gender in my coding and working styles. But it was a game that I would never win.
Many people who stutter would feel that it is their fault that they are not able to use technological products. To adapt to these products, they need to fix their own speech, such as through speech therapy, to achieve temporary fluency. But if many people have such difficulties, it is a systemic problem with the product design.
Click the button to play a video with sound and subtitles on a black background:
conversation between people who stutter and AI voice assistants.
Invisibility of people who stutter in accessibility design.
Stuttering, as an invisible and highly variable disability, is rarely considered in accessibility design. The biggest challenge with stuttering is often not stuttering itself, but the society’s negative stereotypes of people who stutter.
The "self-view" design in online video conferencing technology is disliked by many people who stutter. Similar to findings from social psychology research that most people would feel uncomfortable after being in front of the mirror for a long period of time, when seeing oneself throughout the entire meeting, people who stutter would be more self-conscious and resistant to stuttering-related speech struggles.
Nowadays, many speech models are unable to interpret stuttered speech because the speech data used to train these models were often edited to be artificially fluent, like the BBC news or audiobooks. If we live in a society where everyone stutters and no one pays attention to it, stuttering wouldn’t really affect interpersonal communication.
Click the button to play the interview clip:
Transcription:
"I think that humans are actually very good at adapting to different speech rates. For instance, when encountering someone who speaks fast or slowly, or with an accent, humans have the built-in ability to easily adapt to such aspects of communication. That’s why I see the real barrier for people who stutter is the negative impression or stereotypes about stuttering that are prevalent in our society. For example, people who stutter have been frequently casted in movies and TV shows as the comic relief, a laughing matter. On the other hand, many people would have some assumptions about stuttering, such as that if you stutter, it's because you're not prepared, because you’ve forgotten what you're about to say, or because you're telling a lie, because you feel uncertain. Anyway, these assumptions are what, in my opinion, the most essential (to be changed) and the root cause of all the issues. Therefore, what I advocate for is the right to stutter. Because I believe that if we see more people stutter publicly - such as seeing public speakers or news anchors stutter on the TV, gradually, this speech pattern would become more normalized. Then, in that case, I don't see the need for people who stutter to hide or to mask their stutter. Including those of you with any other, like accents or any other speech diversity, I hope we can all speak freely and openly, from the bottom of our hearts."
LI Linqing: A Digital Travel Guide for People with Disabilities
LI Linqing, a person with cerebral palsy and physical disabilities, PhD in artificial intelligence, head of OnBotics (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.
Doctor in a wheelchair and his accessible entrepreneurship
I didn't have the concept of accessibility when I was a child. As a person with disabilities, I could only adapt to the environment as much as possible. I felt that the world was not designated for me; everything I could reach was at 1.8 meters, while I'm only 1.5 meters tall. I experienced the unfriendliness of the world. It wasn't until after the college entrance exam and entering university that I began to change my mindset. After seeing the more accessible environment for people with disabilities in developed Western countries, I gradually realized that it may not be a problem with myself but with the environment. Life seemed to have more possibilities.
My entrepreneurship is related to my education background. I graduated with a degree in computer science, so I attempted to use technology to bridge some digital divides. After completing a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence theory, I wanted to help this community through practical means. The digital accessible ecosystem we developed initially started with designs and plans based on my own experiences. Later, we found that the obstacles and needs faced by individuals with visual disabilities were greater. Therefore, the main focus of our efforts is currently on wheelchair users and individuals with visual disabilities."
The image below is a photo taken on the way to school.
The image below shows the concept of Mobility as a Service.
Digital travel assistance for people with disabilities
The first background of our work is that the current level of equalization of public services is not enough, and many public services are not currently considered for people with disabilities. However, I believe that they should serve all taxpayers; The second background is that the travel of people with disabilities requires careful preparation and planning, and has experienced long-term and severe information inequality, making travel particularly difficult.
With the support of various governmental departments, including the Disabled Persons' Federation, those of Science and Technology, and of Human Resources and Social Security at all levels, we plan to achieve complete coverage of data for the first-level administrative divisions, including 13 prefecture-level cities, and 85 counties (districts, cities) in Jiangsu Province within three years. This includes information on accessible facilities in subway stations, toilets, low reception counters, the number of vertical elevators, and more. We collect this information through coordination with relevant departments, gathering photos through volunteer efforts, and then integrating the information into maps. Currently, there are approximately 4,000 to 5,000 locations in the province, with support from over 400 volunteers.
To address the issue of existing buses not serving people with disabilities well, we have developed a public transportation guidance system for people with visual disabilities and wheelchair users. Through user reservations, drivers are informed in advance about the transportation needs of people with disabilities. We also provide real-time data on traffic light signals and carry out smart transformations in places like Changshu and Zhangjiagang parks. We offer accessible navigation machines, hoping that the Blind community, when exploring gardens and visiting scenic spots, can perceive all the scenery just like us."
The image below is a screenshot of the app's product interface.
Accessibility development through government-business collaboration
Accessibility is a product of economic and social development reaching a certain stage. National development requires comprehensive consideration, especially in developing countries where resources may be limited, prioritizing the interests of the majority is essential. The voice of the public is now more influential than before, and the country's policy orientation, as well as subsidies for funds and talents, is improving, representing a gradually achievable process.
Through collaboration with the government, we have promoted the creation of an accessible map as part of the municipal government's livelihood project in Suzhou. We have equally supported the implementation of a practical project for the Changzhou Bus Group, specifically the introduction of bus navigation assistance in Changzhou city. I believe that public services should fully solicit the opinions of people with disabilities from the beginning of their design and continue to engage in daily maintenance and management. It is necessary to cultivate more talents with expertise in accessibility to participate in development.
From a business perspective, I may not be the typical business executive. My motivation is not solely to achieve commercial value; I place a higher importance on societal value. Even if it means making a small change in society, I still hope to do more to assist the disabled community.
The image below shows people with disabilities experiencing the intelligent and accessible public transportation guidance service
The image below shows people with disabilities surveying on the accessibility facilities at a subway station.
From Universal Design to Disability Technology
Although what we advocate now is called universal design, which says accessibility is something that everyone needs, from our perspective, it is still a minority group. So many universal products lack such designs, and what we are doing involves a highly vertically segmented application scenario. The entire IT industry still lacks attention to accessibility, and people with disabilities should have more participation in development, guidance, and feedback.
My perspective is to maximize the value of the accessible facilities that have already been built, and to use digital and information technology to reduce inconvenience during everyone's travel. it's not about building ramps where there are no slopes. The data we collect can provide services for people with disabilities and assist relevant functional departments in governance.
Modern science and technology can bring many positive impacts to people with disabilities. Information accessibility is about making all public information accessible to everyone in a more equitable manner. Our traffic lights and maps are both ways to address information inequality. In the future, we will consider researching and developing intelligent wheelchairs, combining our accessibility maps and application scenarios with assistive devices, to meet the needs of many people with disabilities within this ecosystem.
CHI Haoyu: Internet Accessibility Transformation for People with Visual Disabilities
CHI Haoyu, person with visual disability, internet accessibility testing engineer, headphone enthusiast
Enable software to read out texts
As an accessibility tester at a major tech company, our job is to make software support assistive features. Because regular users can simply click on what they see, visually impaired individuals who cannot see the screen need the software to be read out through the built-in assistive features on smartphones and tablets. However, many software applications do not support this, so we work to make these unsupported elements compatible.
With screen reader (assistive feature) enabled, every action is accompanied by voice prompts, and each box that moves with each swipe represents the focus. We aim to ensure that every focus and function is displayed correctly. Graphical elements are specified separately, and textual content is read out accurately. This allows visually impaired users to operate the software seamlessly.
Many third-party applications often use custom UI (User Interface) designs rather than standard controls, making it challenging to implement quick operations in accessibility mode outside the native framework. Therefore, we need to add labels to unrecognized controls, making it easier to operate in a more simplified manner.
First the chicken, then the egg
The accessibility transformation doesn't pose significant technical challenges; the difficulty lies in awareness. Many developers, when creating software, may not consider that users with visual disabilities will use their applications, perhaps arguing that they haven't received feedback from such users. However, it's a paradox. If the software itself doesn't have good support, it won't attract users — this is the chicken and egg problem.
A compelling case is that after implementing accessibility features, your user base will grow. For example, before improving accessibility, a video app was usable by individuals with visual disabilities but lacked interactivity. Now, with better accessibility, more video creators are experimenting with producing content and live streaming.
Companies with awareness of accessibility will support it from the ground up, at least ensuring it's usable. Our job is to make it user-friendly. The distinction between usable and user-friendly lies in the fact that usable means experienced users can use it effortlessly, but user-friendly means even inexperienced users can easily handle it.
Testing methods prioritized for people with visual disabilities
The core expertise required for an accessibility tester is a deep understanding of various functions of screen reading software, including knowledge of controls, features, and implementation methods. If possible, having some coding modification skills is beneficial. Communication is a crucial aspect of our work. Convincing large companies or developers to make changes is a key challenge. Often, accessibility may not have a high priority, depending on individual values.
Individuals with visual disabilities use smartphones differently. Many blind users require full-screen reading to operate devices, while those with low vision can use screen magnification. However, at least 95% of blind users rely on screen reading software for smartphones. I've been a longtime user of screen reading software, having first learned about it in a blind school during elementary and middle school. In 2005, our family installed screen reading software on our computer, and during university, I had a mobile phone with built-in screen reading. Despite being able to see large numbers or icons at a close distance, I have an advantage in testing due to my familiarity with screen reading software.
The main difference between visually impaired and sighted testers lies in the completeness of information retrieval, but visually impaired individuals have a greater say in the usability of the software. Although I, as a visually impaired tester, may work more slowly, the quality of my work is inevitably more comprehensive. I know exactly what I want from the software. Sighted testers may provide more intuitive assessments of page operations and deliver results more quickly, but they may not fully understand the user's perspective because they are not users themselves. Through collaboration between visually impaired and sighted testers, a balanced approach can be achieved, which I believe is an ideal testing method.
Accessible renovation will continue to exist
Accessibility transformation will continue to exist because there will always be new things to improve. Often, as software becomes more complex, its code and logic may be mutually affected. Something you fixed today may be disrupted by a new feature tomorrow. It's an ongoing issue that requires continuous problem-solving.
While visually impaired users benefit the most from assistive features, users with other disabilities also rely on them. For example, there is a feature called voice control that, when activated, allows users to speak the corresponding label names to open them. This benefits not only visually impaired users but also users with physical disabilities. Even in scenarios like driving, ordinary users can find it useful.
Many times, misconceptions about disabilities arise from a lack of understanding. Visual disabilities should not be stereotyped as individuals wearing sunglasses and engaging in activities like fortune-telling or playing the erhu by the roadside. In daily life and the process of digitalization, if people consider everyone's situation early on and incorporate accessibility into the design framework, our work becomes much simpler. Especially in today's rapidly advancing society and technology, whether it's for individuals with visual, physical, or hearing disabilities, let's not leave anyone behind.
The following figure shows six headphones used
by CHI Haoyu for screen reading testing in daily work and life.
Autobiography: The Story of Six Headphones
In a work documentary in 2021, I mentioned that I brought six pairs of headphones, but in reality, I have more than those six pairs. Each pair of headphones corresponds to different usage scenarios. During commuting, I use active noise-canceling headphones to avoid the noise from the subway and buses. When listening to music, I choose HiFi headphones for better sound effects. When playing online KTV with friends, I use headphones with a built-in microphone. Different scenarios have different requirements, but the central theme is always about music itself.
During the commute, I choose to use noise-canceling headphones to mitigate the noise from the subway and buses. Simultaneously, I use a voice assistant to select the music I want to listen to that day. Whether it's cheerful or soothing, dynamic or gentle, the voice assistant helps me find the music I like. When using a voice assistant to control music playback on the subway, it can also free up my hands, allowing me to grasp handles, railings, and other devices more securely, avoiding potential dangers.
In addition to listening, I also enjoy singing. Through Apple Music's computational audio, I can easily adjust the volume of the vocals in the music for learning purposes. I can also lower the vocal volume to a minimum at any time to better familiarize myself with the details of the accompaniment.
During leisure weekends, occasionally I gather with three to five friends to sing together in online KTV. Current online karaoke software provides intelligent pitch correction, using real-time algorithms to compensate for many deficiencies in singing skills. Previously, recording a satisfactory song required meticulous post-production tuning using professional software. However, with AI pitch correction algorithms, recording a good song is no longer a difficult task.
LUO Dan: AI big data production involving individuals with disabilities
LUO Dan, a wheelchair user, AI data annotator, and quality inspector:
Making smart products smarter
If someone asks me about my current job, I will say it's about making Xiao Ai smarter. Our work involves dealing with a large amount of data, performing classification, and annotation to optimize them for uncovering genuine user needs.
Our data annotation covers various types, including text, images, and the 3D unmanned driving sector, each with specific content. We categorize data to help smart products distinguish between genuine and false wake-ups. Genuine wake-ups can further be categorized into single wake-ups, command wake-ups, and unintentional wake-ups， achieving precision through detailed classification.
Annotation to Quality Inspection
I've been a data annotator for less than a year, and now I've been working as a quality inspector for over two years. Quality inspection is akin to teachers grading assignments. We randomly check a portion of the data according to certain proportions to assess accuracy. If the accuracy is below standard, annotators need to review their work. This role also involves participating in rule discussion meetings, tracking fellow annotators' accuracy, ensuring project quality, answering queries, and conducting training on new rules.
Trial annotation is also part of quality inspection. After receiving a batch of new data from the product team, we initially annotate a few hundred items following the given rules. We then modify and enhance the rules based on the feedback from product testing. Rules developed for product design often need refinement during actual annotation work, requiring constant communication to improve.
For annotators, audio data can be quite fuzzy and faint. We need to turn the volume to the maximum and listen in a very quiet environment. Subjectivity comes into play based on the degree of data fuzziness, with some annotators hearing voices and wake-up words clearly, while others find them indistinct.
Annotation Professionals with disabilities in the AI Industry
With the success of the Xiaomi Xiao Ai Disabled Annotation Team, an increasing number of tech companies are now employing individuals with disabilities for AI product annotation. Our team currently operates in an entrepreneurial incubation center affiliated with the Disabled Persons' Federation, and the company provides us with dormitories, ensuring comprehensive accessibility conditions and equipment.
Annotation work relies on the accumulation of long-term experience for stable quality. Individuals with disabilities may face challenges in finding jobs due to physical reasons, making them highly appreciative of any good job opportunities. Their commitment and appreciation for the job are crucial for tech companies.
In the past, when one of our wheelchair colleagues spent a bit longer in the restroom, the system would register as inactive. As we are not in the same office, the client's quality check did not fully understand our physical situations. Looking at the backend data, they would worry if we were working diligently after half an hour of inactivity. In reality, there were no issues; it was just a lack of prior communication. After explaining the situation, our understanding with the client improved over time.
Human Annotation and the Future of AI
As our work progresses, annotating data becomes increasingly challenging, highlighting the achievements of our earlier work. Initially, we annotated clear data that was applied to actual cases. Now, as we progress, extremely fuzzy audio data that machines can no longer recognize starts entering our annotations, presenting a significant challenge, and requiring us to revisit work almost daily.
Human annotation plays a crucial role in certain scenarios. In the past, when the term "Versailles" gained popularity online, a user asked what it meant. The AI voice assistant directly guided the user to the Palace of Versailles in France. However, since the model was not designed with this term, in a few years, when new phrases and ideas become popular, the AI products will lack them. This necessitates our infusion of these concepts. Moreover, as products aim for more precise models, requiring zero false wake-ups and no errors, we cross-annotate with three individuals to achieve accuracy.
I believe that as society progresses, human thinking evolves, and machine annotation can never replace human annotation. There will always be new challenging data that requires human handling.
The following image shows the daily working situation of Luo Dan and her colleagues.
SHI Chengchuan: Technology entrepreneurship assists information accessibility.
SHI Chengchuan, person with hearing loss, technology entrepreneur, founder of “Voibook” Technology
From Applied Chemistry, Applied Mathematics to Artificial Intelligence
At the age of 11, I experienced hearing loss, and since childhood, I've harbored a dream of using my abilities to assist more individuals with hearing disabilities. I initially chose applied chemistry as my major for the college entrance examination, hoping to research human physiological structures and genetic inheritance to find methods for treating or improving hearing loss. Despite being reassigned to applied mathematics, my aspiration remained to use my technical skills to help the hearing-impaired community.
During my undergraduate studies, the field of artificial intelligence experienced a significant boom. I audited numerous courses on Internet technologies, artificial intelligence, and speech recognition. Concurrently, I kept an eye on Google's smart glasses, which applied augmented reality (AR) technology to overlay a virtual screen onto real scenes. My immediate thought was to integrate this technology with speech recognition to design specialized smart glasses for people having hearing loss. This idea laid the foundation for our entrepreneurial inspiration—the "VoiBook" project.
Technical products specifically designed for individuals with hearing loss.
Since starting our business in 2016, we have launched an app for users with hearing disabilities. It is designed to help them achieve efficient and accessible communication with others. People often ask us what the difference is between other voice-to-text apps, but in fact, turning sound into subtitles is just one of the functions.
Our product is specifically designed for individuals with hearing disabilities, with the function of turning text into sound and handwriting pad, making it convenient for users who cannot speak; There are also speech training and rehabilitation sections, where individuals equipped with hearing aids or cochlear implants can train and restore their language abilities. In addition to the instrumental section, there is also a community function that provides networking for individuals with hearing loss.
We also provide accessibility solutions for various institutions, including store accessibility, teaching accessibility, and government accessibility. We mainly provide hardware and software systems through government procurement and cooperation with public welfare institutions. We hope to use this accessibility tool to provide reasonable convenience and promote the widespread popularization of the entire accessibility environment, allowing people with hearing loss to enjoy equal rights.
The following figure is a screenshot of “Voibook” App
Technology needs to be used to solve specific problems.
Our core focus is on researching and developing solutions to communication barriers among individuals with hearing loss. The "physical accessibility" promoted by many wheelchair users and individuals with physical disabilities has been relatively widely recognized. For us with visual and hearing disabilities, "information accessibility" is a more important focus.
For the information accessibility of people with hearing loss, we advocate not which is better, but rather a combination of sign language, spoken language, subtitles, and other methods, so that in teaching and various application scenarios, users with hearing loss can make their own choices based on the actual situation.
The sign language recognition algorithm we are developing may not be as universal as speech recognition technology at the beginning, but in the future, these algorithms can be applied to many fields, and the entire artificial intelligence technology and general large models can be mutually promoted and optimized.
Technological advancements can bring changes to people with disabilities.
When I was in college, speech recognition technology reached a growth spurt stage because there was research on speech semantic conversion as early as in the 1960s and 1970s. However, it was not until more than half a century later that the algorithms and models of artificial intelligence technology had better performance and new breakthroughs that these technologies could achieve the possibility of large-scale application.
Technology has a process of development, which is constantly evolving, upgrading, and iterating, but we cannot deny the technology itself. Many friends with hearing loss have high expectations for things, express their thoughts immediately, and have some negative evaluations and pressure on technical and R&D personnel. I think this is also a normal process.
The advancement of technology will bring significant changes to our disabled population, which can effectively compensate for the obstacles caused by certain bodily functions. In the future, the concept of "disability" will gradually fade or even disappear.
The following picture shows the scenario of using “Voibook” for accessible teaching.
The following picture shows “Voibook” accessibility equipment for public services.
GUO Zicheng and TONG Wei: Food maps for wheelchair users
GUO Zicheng and TONG Wei (Feng Zheng), wheelchair users, programmers, and initiators of the WeChat mini program GoGo Map ("Gun Gun Mei Shi Di Tu”)
Gourmet map for wheelchair users
At the end of 2017, when we just arrived in Chengdu, we loved going out with friends to explore the city. We discovered many delicious places in Chengdu, but we realized that these places were not always wheelchair accessible, and large shopping malls didn't allow us to experience the local culture. So, together with a friend who works on backend development, we volunteered to develop a WeChat mini program to address these issues.
Currently, we have two platforms that complement each other: a public account and a WeChat mini program. The program is responsible for entering data related to wheelchair accessibility in the catering industry. The public account shares travel experiences, evaluates attractions and museums, and aims to organize offline activities such as "Accessible Experience Officers" to build connections.
Our data mainly relies on the community for voluntary reporting, and then we conduct local evaluations. As long as a restaurant has commendable aspects, such as taste, ambiance, and other comprehensive dimensions, we can clearly describe the accessibility situation to make a recommendation. This makes it convenient for people with different levels of disabilities to choose suitable dining environments. Users can also input their accessibility requirements to retrieve dining environments that meet their conditions.
Accessibility in dining needs urgent attention
Many restaurants don't specifically focus on accessibility facilities. They prioritize their taste and decorative features. For example, popular hot pot restaurants may have a retro Chinese style decoration, and sometimes, their lack of accessibility might even become a promotional feature.
Chengdu is a tourist city. One restaurant we evaluated didn't enhance accessibility for the sake of accessibility itself but rather to accommodate customers carrying luggage or pushing baby strollers, making ramps and passages accessible. However, such restaurants are still in the minority.
There are still some restaurants willing to make changes. After more communication with them and bringing in more wheelchair-using friends, they may realize the inconvenience of steps for everyone and decide to make improvements. Acceptance of guide dogs may vary depending on the atmosphere of each restaurant, and different managers may have different attitudes.
GUO Zicheng and TONG Wei conducting a survey on accessibility at a yet-to-be-opened restaurant.
Changing Perspective to Look at Chengdu
Our WeChat mini program is called "Gun Gun Mei Shi Di Tu”. "Gun gun" in Sichuan dialect means "wheels" and also refers to a panda, aligning perfectly with wheelchair travel and Chengdu's characteristics. Our slogan is "Between food and you, gun gun is no longer a distance," hoping to meet everyone's accessible needs.
We have always hoped that through our mini program, we can discover Chengdu's inclusiveness and warmth, highlighting the beautiful aspects of a city that ordinary people may not experience. At the same time, we see how technology can bridge the accessibility gap for people with disabilities, reducing the time, energy, and anxiety costs of our travel.
The overall atmosphere in Chengdu is relatively relaxed, and people with disabilities also enjoy traveling and indulging in the pleasures of food and entertainment. We hope everyone can see our needs, making accessibility no longer a problem.
Screenshots of the WeChat mini program
