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Nagish Acquires Sign.mt to Drive Research in AI and Sign Language. Read the announcement
Deaf Culture
August 1, 2024
5 Min

Navigating Alexa as a Deaf or Hard of Hearing Homeowner

Alexa is now prevalent in our culture, but can it effectively cater to the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing? The answer is yes; read on to find out how!

Author:
Molly Glass
Navigating Alexa as a Deaf or Hard of Hearing Homeowner
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Alexa has become a ubiquitous part of our culture. But can it be effectively used by the deaf and hard of hearing? The answer is yes! Read on to learn how.

Understanding Alexa

Alexa, sold by Amazon, is a device that functions as a virtual assistant. You can activate the device with the wake word (“Alexa”) and issue voice commands, such as “Hey Alexa, play some music.” The device utilizes cloud computing and natural language processing (NLP) to process commands and fulfill requests.

However, the drawback is that the above process requires verbal and auditory capabilities, which excludes many in the deaf and hard of hearing communities. Despite this, Alexa does offer several accessibility features.

Types of Alexa Models

There are several versions of Alexa devices available:

  1. Amazon Echo (4th generation)
  2. Amazon Echo Pop
  3. Amazon Echo Spot
  4. Amazon Echo Studio
  5. Amazon Echo Show
  6. Amazon Echo Hub
  7. Amazon Echo Sub

(Bolded models are touchscreen versions of Echo.)

While there are so many options, for the deaf or hard-of-hearing user, an echo device with a touchscreen will provide the accessibility features they need. A few screen models are the Echo Show, Echo Spot, or Echo Hub.

Setting up “Tap to Alexa”

A woman at a desk touches a smart speaker device.
A woman at a desk touches a smart speaker device.

For the deaf community, an adaptive setting allows you to tap to wake the device instead of using voice commands. Once enabled, you will see a finger-tapping icon on the device's touchscreen. Tapping this icon pulls up request icons for common tasks like setting alarms, checking the weather, or setting timers. You can also customize icons to suit your personal needs.

For more complex requests, after tapping Alexa, you can type your questions using the keyboard.

To set up “Tap to Alexa,” follow these steps:

  1. Swipe down to reveal the touch control bar.
  2. Select “Settings” from the touch controls menu.
  3. In the “Settings” page, select “Accessibility”.
  4. Scroll down and toggle the “Tap to Alexa.” button.
  5. Hit “Continue” to complete the setup.

The tapping icon should now be visible on the screen.

Alexa Call & Closed Captioning

You can also enable closed captioning for audio responses or phone calls on your touchscreen Alexa devices. Phone calls are supported on the Echo Show and Alexa mobile app for customers in the US, Canada, and Mexico. They are available in over ten languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Dutch, and Portuguese.

To set up captioning, follow these steps:

  1. Swipe down from the top of the screen and select Settings.
  2. Select Accessibility.
  3. Select Captioning.
  4. Check the boxes for the captioning settings you want to enable:some text
    • All Captioning: Enables all captioning options
    • Closed Captioning: Enables captioning for video playback
    • Call Captioning: Enables captioning for Alexa calls and Drop-Ins
    • Alexa Captioning: Enables captioning for Alexa's responses
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Other Accessibility Features

Speaking Pace

If you choose to use your voice to speak, Alexa offers seven different speaking rates. You can ask Alexa to slow down or speak faster according to your preferences.

Adjusting Frequencies

Alexa “Equalizer” allows you to adjust the sound pitches to your listening preferences. To enable:

  1. Swipe down to Settings,
  2. Tap on Sounds,
  3. Tap on Equalizer,
  4. Adjust to preference.

Bluetooth Settings

Certain Bluetooth hearing aids can be paired with Alexa. Oticon Opn hearing aids provide a tutorial on how to pair with Alexa using IFTTT. Click here to see how to set up those features. Additionally, ask your audiologist which hearing aid brands are compatible with Amazon Echo.

Real-time Texting (RTT)

The modern-day version of a TTY, the RTT feature allows you to have a live text chat between Echo devices or the Amazon app. This is only available on Echo Show devices or the Amazon app. To enable, follow these steps:

  1. Swipe down to Settings,
  2. Select Accessibility,
  3. Scroll down to RTT and toggle on.

There are many other speech and vision accessibility features available on Amazon Echo devices. The Accessibility for Alexa page lists them all for your viewing.

Conclusion

Amazon Alexa is for more than just hearing people. The deaf and hard of hearing community can also benefit from the wide array of assistance provided by Echo devices. With a little time upfront enabling adaptive settings, you can also harness the power of a virtual assistant in your home.

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Molly Glass

Molly, a Deaf mom of two CODAs, lives with her hearing partner of almost 14 years in the scenic Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia. Profoundly Deaf since 18 months old, she enjoys writing about the lived Deaf experiences and advocacy. In her free time she reads, and is very slowly working on authoring her first book.

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Nagish Acquires Sign.mt to Drive Research in AI and Sign Language. 
‍Read the announcement

Navigating Alexa as a Deaf or Hard of Hearing Homeowner

Key Findings

  • Workplace Impact: 62% of Deaf and 66% of Hard-of-Hearing individuals report that communication barriers hinder career mobility.
  • Healthcare Challenges: 62% of Deaf and 66% of Hard-of-Hearing individuals experience communication barriers in healthcare settings, contributing to delays in treatment.
  • Concerns About Emergency Communications: 20% of Deaf and 24.3% Hard-of-Hearing users also expressed serious concerns that communication barriers would prohibit them from contacting healthcare personnel in an emergency situation.
  • Independence Boost: Assistive technology nearly doubled rates of independence, with 60% of Deaf users and 63% of Hard-of-Hearing users reporting increased autonomy.
  • Emotional Strain: 55% of Deaf users and 83% of Hard-of-Hearing users reported emotional distress due to communication frustrations.
  • Social and Professional Opportunities: 46% of Deaf and 32.9% of Hard-of-Hearing users saw improved social and career prospects thanks to assistive technologies.

Empowering the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Through Technology: A New Era of Communication and Independence

At Nagish, we’ve seen firsthand just how much communication shapes daily life for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing communities. Our recent survey highlights the significant barriers they face in the workplace, healthcare settings, and in their social lives. But it also sheds light on a powerful solution: assistive technology. The results of this survey reinforce our commitment to empowering these communities and remind us why our mission matters: with access to the right tools, independence grows, opportunities expand, and well-being improves.

We collected data through a comprehensive survey involving over 300 individuals who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing and currently use hearing assistive technology. The survey included 179 Deaf and 140 Hard-of-Hearing participants, with data collected in an inclusive and accessible manner to ensure that everyone could participate and share their experiences without barriers.Communication Barriers in the Workplace: Limiting Career Mobility

Communication challenges in the workplace remain one of the most significant hurdles for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing individuals, preventing them from fully realizing their career potential. Assistive technology offers a solution by removing these barriers and expanding access to a broader range of job opportunities and career growth.

Download the PDF Report

A majority of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing participants reported that communication barriers affected their career decisions, making it harder to pursue job opportunities or advance in their careers.

Deaf Participants

Hard-of-Hearing participants

65% of Deaf users rely on assistance from hearing individuals at least once a week to communicate effectively, which can limit their ability to fully engage in dynamic work environments.

Communication Barriers in Healthcare: A Matter of Public Safety
Communication challenges are not just a workplace issue — they extend into healthcare settings, where they can directly impact individuals’ health outcomes. Accessible communication tools are essential for ensuring that Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing individuals can receive timely and accurate medical care, especially in emergency situations

Many Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing users face communication barriers in healthcare settings, which can lead to missed appointments, misunderstandings about medical treatments, and delayed care.

Deaf users:

62%

Hard of Hearing users:

66%

Some Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing users have concerns about reaching healthcare professionals in emergencies, highlighting serious public safety risks.

Deaf users

Hard-of-Hearing users

Empowering Independence Through Assistive Technology
One of the most encouraging findings from our survey is just how much independence is boosted with assistive technology. This improvement in independence is not just about doing things on their own; it’s about having the confidence and ability to engage fully in both professional and personal settings.

Assistive technology has significantly increased the independence of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing users in managing daily tasks, showing clear improvements after adoption.

Deaf users

Hard-of-Hearing users

Expanding Social and Professional Opportunities
Beyond independence, assistive technology creates connection.By removing communication barriers that keep people from joining in socially or professionallyassistive technology allows users to engage more deeply in social activities and pursue career opportunities that were previously out of reach.

Assistive technology has helped Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing users expand their social networks and professional opportunities, enabling new connections and career growth.

Emotional and Psychological Impact: The Hidden Toll of Communication Barriers
People often overlook the emotional and psychological toll of communication , but they can have a profound impact on the mental well-being of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing individuals. Assistive technology can help alleviate this emotional strain, empowering users to communicate more effectively and reducing the anxiety associated with relying on others for basic communication.

A significant number of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing users experience frustration and anxiety when communicating with family and friends, leading to isolation and stress.

Deaf users

Hard-of-Hearing users

Why This Matters: A Call for Widespread Adoption of Assistive Technologies
The findings from our survey are clear: communication barriers continue to limit the lives of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing individuals in many areas, from the workplace to healthcare to their social lives. What’s also clear to us is that the question isn’t whether assistive technology helps—it’s how quickly we can make this powerful solution universally available.. By making these tools more accessible, we can open up new opportunities for individuals to thrive in their careers, maintain better health, and lead more independent lives.
At Nagish, we are committed to advocating for the integration of assistive technologies in all aspects of life. Whether it’s in healthcare, the workplace, or social settings, these technologies have the potential to create a more inclusive society where Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing individuals can live fully empowered lives. 
Our hope is that these findings inspire not just awareness, but action. We hope this survey creates awareness and action in promoting accessibility and inclusion for these communities. Together, we can create a world where everyone, regardless of their hearing abilities, has equal access to opportunities and services.