Information Needs of Deaf Welders: Improving the Accessibility of Middle-Skill Work

Past research on accessibility and usability has primarily focused on digital accessibility but has paid less attention to how middle-skill jobs could be made more accessible. While accessibility is still an important issue in many sectors, accessibility in middle skill jobs is particularly important given the disproportionate number of Deaf workers in manual labor jobs. Due to language deprivation and discrimination, Deaf workers face limited employment opportunities. However, welding can provide uniquely rewarding job opportunities for Deaf workers because of its visual and spatial nature. This research study examines accessibility in the welding industry and asks how Deaf welders experience welding training and work and how technology and training can be made more accessible. In this research, we take a participatory and user-centered design approach to understand the experiences and needs of Deaf welders. As a team of Deaf and hearing researchers, we conducted in-depth interviews with four Deaf welders. Our findings point to the need for accessible training resources and improvements to welding technology. Overall, our research sheds light on the everyday training and employment experiences of Deaf welders and highlights how advances in technology could benefit Deaf and hard of hearing welders.