Research and development of communication support tools for hearing-impaired people

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K21717
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 8:Sociology and related fields
• Research Institution: Tsukuba University of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Inoue Seiya 筑波技術大学, 産業技術学部, 教授 (80389717)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-06-28 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 聴覚障害 / コミュニケーション支援

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Based on the results of a questionnaire survey of hearing-impaired people to understand the places and situations in their daily lives where they often experience difficulty in responding, we developed a communication support tool for hearing-impaired people to respond by pointing to the screen. The users can respond by selecting and presenting the letters and pictograms displayed on the screen and inputting letters. The tool can be used mainly in the ways like 1) responding to visitors at home, 2) responding at stores and transportation facilities, and 3) responding in emergencies when they are unwell or in trouble. It is expected to contribute to the improvement of communication support for hearing-impaired people.

Free Research Field

案内表示における聴覚障害者に対する情報保障

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

障害者の支援を考える場合、施設や設備など、受け入れ側の支援体制を整備する形で進められることが多いが、自宅や小規模な店舗、施設などに対する整備は遅れがちである。また緊急時やトラブル発生時などは、相手から提供されることを待ったり、その仕組みを理解する余裕がないことも考えられる。そのため、今回提案したように、当事者が支援ツールを自装する形の取り組みを充実させていくことも有効と考える。