[go: up one dir, main page]
More Web Proxy on the site http://driver.im/ Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

The effective communication framework: a new approach to hearing assistive communication technologies

  • Long Paper
  • Published:
Universal Access in the Information Society Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) industry, comprised of organizations supported and regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), strives to provide individuals who are d/Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind, or have speech impediments with telecommunication services that are “functionally equivalent” to those used by the broader population. There has been much debate within the TRS community about what “functionally equivalent” means. In response to the need to determine if TRS are functionally equivalent, this paper describes the Effective Communication Framework (ECF), which extends prior communications models that address the components and processes of telecommunication between callers with varying abilities to hear and speak. Qualitative and quantitative research applying the ECF is detailed as evidence of its validity and utility for researchers and practitioners. The ECF can help provide a basis for reliable research design, identify gaps in knowledge and capabilities, guide data collection and analysis, and facilitate communication among researchers and practitioners, especially those looking to improve assistive communication technologies like TRS.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
£29.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price includes VAT (United Kingdom)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

Notes

  1. This paper uses d/Deaf as an umbrella term to describe individuals who are deaf in the audiological sense, as well as those who identify as culturally Deaf. While not all people identify with solely one or the other, big-D Deaf describes individuals who identify primarily as members of an ethno-linguistic culture (or linguistic and cultural minority) and little-d deaf describes individuals who primarily identify as deaf in the medical or audiological sense.

References

  1. Consumer and Governmental Affairs: Telecommunication Relay Services - TRS, Federal Communications Commission (2022)

  2. Office of the Law Revision Counsel: United States Code: 47 USC CHAPTER 5, SUBCHAPTER II, Part II: Development of Competitive Markets, U.S. House of Representatives (ND)

  3. Telecommunication Standardization Sector of ITU: Multimedia Telecommunication Relay Services, International Telecommunication Union (2018)

  4. Chief, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau: Memorandum Opinion and Order DA 21-419, Federal Communications Commission (2021)

  5. Urqueta Alfaro, A., Pfaff, M., Ybarra, V., Browning, N., McHugh, J., Malloy, J., Edell, J.: Experienced users’ strategies to address challenges with internet protocol caption telephone services. Paper presented at the proceedings of the human factors and ergonomics society annual meeting, 1–6 October 2023

  6. McDonnell, E., Liu, P., Goodman, S., Kushalnagar, R., Froehlich, J., Findlater, L.: Social, environmental, and technical: factors at play in the current use and future design of small-group captioning. Proc. ACM Hum. Comput. Interact. 5, 1–25 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1145/3479578

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Millett, P.: Accuracy of speech-to-text captioning for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. J. Educ. Pediatri. Rehabilit. Audiol. 25, 1–13 (2021)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  8. U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division: Communicating Effectively with People with Disabilities, ADA.gov (ND)

  9. U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division: ADA Requirements: Effective Communication (2020)

  10. Chief, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau: Order DA 22-699, Federal Communications Commission (2022)

  11. Loizides, F., Basson, S., Kanevsky, D., Prilepova, O., Savla, S., Zaraysky, S.: Breaking boundaries with live transcribe: expanding use cases beyond standard captioning scenarios. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, 1–6 October 2020

  12. Ridha, A., Shehieb, W.: Assistive technology for hearing-impaired and deaf students utilizing augmented reality. Paper presented at IEEE Canadian Conference on Electrical and Computer Engineering, 1–5 September 2021

  13. Doush, I., Al-Jarrah, A., Alajarmeh, N., Alnfiai, M.: Learning features and accessibility limitations of video conferencing applications: are peolpe with visual impairment left behind. Univers. Access Inf. Soc. 22, 1353–1368 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-022-00917-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Daft, R., Lengel, R.: Organizational information requirements, media richness and structural design. Manag. Sci. 32(5), 554–571 (1986)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Barnlund, C.: A transactional model of communication. In: Mortensen, C. (ed.) Communication Theory, pp. 47–57. Routledge, United Kingdom (2017)

    Chapter  MATH  Google Scholar 

  16. Jabareen, Y.: Building a conceptual framework: philosophy, definitions, and procedure. Int. J. Qual. Methods 8, 49–62 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690900800406

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  17. Shannon, C., Weaver, W.: The Mathematical Theory of Communication. University of Illinois Press, Urbana (1949)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  18. Schramm, W.: How communication works. In: Schramm, W. (ed.) The Process and Effects of Mass Communication, pp. 3–26. University of Illinois Press, Urbana (1955)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  19. Berlo, D.: The Process of Communication. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York (1960)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Nilsen, P.: Making sense of implementation theories, models, and frameworks. Implement. Sci. 10, 1–13 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-015-0242-0

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  21. Brunswik, E.: The conceptual framework of psychology. In: International Encyclopedia of Unified Science, pp. 656–760. University of Chicago Press, Chicago (1952)

  22. Clark, H., Brennan, S.: Grounding in communication. In: Resnick, L., Levine, J., Teasley, S. (eds.) Perspectives on Socially Shared Cognition, pp. 127–149. APA Books, Washington D.C. (1991)

  23. Federal Communications Commission: MITRE Corporation Assessments of Quality Metrics and Associated Usability of Internet Protocol Caption Telephone Service DA-18-359A1 (2018)

  24. Militello, L., Hutton, R.: Applied cognitive task analysis (acta): a practitioner’s toolkit for understanding cognitive task demands. Ergonomics 41, 1618–1641 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1080/001401398186108

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  25. Hinsvark, A., Delworth, N., Del Rio, M., McNamara, Q., Dong, J., Westerman, R., Huang, M., Palakapilly, J., Drexler, J., Pirkin, I., Bhandari, N., Jette, M.: Accented speech recognition: a survey. ArXiv, pp. 1–5 (2021) https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2104.10747

  26. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: The ADA: Your Employment Rights as an Individual With a Disability

  27. Bochner, J., Indelicato, M., Konnur, P.: Effects of sound quality on the accuracy of telephone captions produced by automatic speech recognition: a preliminary investigation. Am. J. Audiol. 32, 243–250 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_AJA22-00102

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  28. Blanco, T., Berbegal, A., Blasco, R., Casas, R.: Xassess: crossdisciplinary framework in user-centered design of assistive products. J. Eng. Des. 27, 636–664 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1080/09544828.2016.1200717

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Fuhrer, M., Jutai, J., Scherer, M., DeRuyter, F.: A framework for the conceptual modelling of assistive technology device outcomes. Disabil. Rehabilit. 25, 1243–1251 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1080/09638280310001596207

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Kintsch, A., DePaula, R.: A framework for the adoption of assistive technology. University of Colorado at Boulder, pp. 1–11 (2002)

  31. Othman, A., Dhouib, A., Chalghoumi, H., El Ghoul, O., Al-Mutawaa, A.: The acceptance of culturally adapted signing avatars among deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. IEEE Access 12, 78624–78640 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3407128

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Davis, F.: A Technology Acceptance Model for Empirically Testing New End-User Information Systems: Theory and Results. Wayne State University (1980)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  33. Oldfield, N.: Competency Model for VRS Interpreters. Capella University (2009)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  34. Skinner, R.: Approximately There: Positioning Video-Mediated Intrepreting in Frontline Police Services. Heriot Watt University (2020)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  35. Skinner, R.: Would you like some background? establishing shared rights and duties in video relay service calls to the police. Interpret. Soc. Interdiscip. J. 3, 46–74 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1177/27523810221151107

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  36. Dean, R., Pollard, R.: Application of demand-control theory to sign language interpreting: implications for stress and interpreter training. J. Deaf Stud. Deaf Educ. 6, 1–14 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1093/deafed/6.1.1

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  37. Chang, S., Russell, D.: Coming apart at the screens: Canadian video relay interpreters and stress. J. Interpret. 30(1), 1–18 (2022)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  38. Wilbert, C., Lund, E., Johnson, E.: Qualitative exploration of case conferencing and occupational stress with video relay interpreters. J. Interpret. 29(1), 1–20 (2021)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  39. Mauldin, J.: Exploring Teaming Dynamics in Video Remote Interpreting. St Catherine University (2022)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  40. Wilcox, S., Shaffer, B.: Towards a cognivite model of interpreting. In: Janzen, T. (ed.) Topics in Signed Language Interpreting: Theory and Practice, pp. 27–50. John Benjamins Publishing Company, Netherlands (2005)

Download references

Funding

This work was supported by the Federal Communications Commission under Federal Contract #75FCMC18D0047, Task Order #273FCC19F0114 and the MITRE Corporation’s Research Enablement and Augmentation Program. ©2024 The MITRE Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Approved for Public Release; distribution unlimited; case #23-4356.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Mark S. Pfaff, Karina A. Roundtree, Andrea Urqueta Alfaro and Vincent T. Ybarra have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The MITRE Corporation, 202 Burlington Rd, Bedford, MA, 01730, USA

    Mark S. Pfaff & Karina A. Roundtree

  2. The MITRE Corporation, 7515 Colshire Dr, McLean, VA, 22012, USA

    Andrea Urqueta Alfaro

  3. The MITRE Corporation, 1150 Academy Park Loop, Colorado Springs, CO, 80910, USA

    Vincent T. Ybarra

Authors
  1. Mark S. Pfaff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Karina A. Roundtree
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Andrea Urqueta Alfaro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Vincent T. Ybarra
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

The authors contributed equally to writing the manuscript, preparing figures, and reviewing the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vincent T. Ybarra.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Pfaff, M.S., Roundtree, K.A., Urqueta Alfaro, A. et al. The effective communication framework: a new approach to hearing assistive communication technologies. Univ Access Inf Soc (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-025-01192-9

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-025-01192-9

Keywords