Designing AI for Inclusion

Deaf Perspectives in AI Development

Deaf Perspectives in AI Development is a community-centered event designed to bring Deaf leaders, researchers, technologists, and advocates into direct conversation about the future of accessible artificial intelligence. This session focuses on understanding real experiences, challenges, and opportunities within the Deaf community—and how these insights should shape the next generation of AI tools, interfaces, and research priorities.

About the Event

As AI technologies increasingly influence communication, education, and daily interaction, it is essential that Deaf voices are included at every stage of development. This event creates a dedicated space for discussing how AI can support visual communication, strengthen access to information, and address long-standing accessibility gaps.

Participants will explore barriers that Deaf users face in current AI systems, highlight areas for improvement, and contribute to a collective vision for more inclusive, culturally aware design.

Key Themes

• Lived experiences with AI tools
  Real stories from Deaf individuals about what works—and what doesn’t—in today’s technologies.
• Sign language and multimodal AI
  Discussion on how AI can better interpret, support, and respect sign languages as full linguistic systems.
• Accessibility gaps in current platforms
  Identifying practical barriers in communication apps, captioning tools, and visual interfaces.
• Co-design and community leadership
  Exploring how Deaf researchers and community members can shape research agendas and product development.
• Ethics, representation, and cultural nuance
  Addressing issues around dataset bias, cultural accuracy, and responsible AI development.

What to Expect

This roundtable includes facilitated discussions, short presentations from community experts, and open dialogue sessions. Participants will have opportunities to share feedback directly with researchers and contribute to upcoming guidelines on accessible AI design.

Who Should Attend

• Deaf community members and advocates
• Sign language researchers and interpreters
• AI and UX designers
• Accessibility specialists
• Policy and education professionals
• Anyone interested in inclusive technology

Outcomes

By centering Deaf perspectives, this event aims to ensure that emerging technologies reflect real needs, respect linguistic diversity, and promote equitable access for all.