Disabling Technology? Access and Inclusion in the Deaf/Hearing Workplace
Swedish Television's Deaf programming editorial employees are among the few deaf and hearing who call their own workplace a dual language workplace. The editorial works to make Swedish Sign Language accessible to both hearing and deaf publics through television and online broadcasts. The editorial's employees are spread out over Sweden's different regions and co-workers which means both deaf and hearing regularly use video meeting as a tool for collaboration in their day-to-day work.
Our study of video communication for work shows the complexity of video meetings and their multiple meanings, modes of use and dimensions. Collaboration in the workplace is not the only important factor. Visual technology such as video meetings promises to increase access and inclusion in the workplace like Swedish Television where equality - whether it be gender equality or equality for the disabled - is key. Our main focus is to look at how video meetings become more complicated when a sign language translator, two languages and a minority culture (Deaf culture) are present. Important factors in this study include looking at Swedish Television as an organisation, the nature of television production and deaf culture in Sweden. This project begins by building an understanding of communication and technology use from a cultural perspective which is based on an ethnographic study carried out at Swedish television's deaf editorial's office spaces. Our study aims to contribute to our understanding of technology's role in increasing inclusion and equality in a workplace where communication via video is a necessity and has an impact on employee creativity and efficiency. This dual-language workplace is special in that it already has a strong technological and media-focused dimension which means that it is a good example of the conditions for working in a media society. The nature of the Swedish television's deaf editorial has the potential to bring up new issues on culture, technology and communication that are also of interest for society at large.
This project is financed by FORTE 2014 - 2017
Contact person: Rebekah Cupitt , MID, KTH
Project leader: Ann Lantz , MID, KTH and Per-Anders Forstorp , ISAK, Linköping University