"Signifier" Video Sharing Platform and Accessible Media Player for Deaf Users
Paraskevi Panagi, Alexandros Yeratziotis, Thomas Fotiadis, Christos Mettouris, George Angelos Papadopoulos · 2024 · Proceedings of the 2024 International Conference on Information Technology for Social Good (GoodIT) · doi:10.1145/3677525.3678655
Summary
This paper from the University of Cyprus and Connect Deaf presents the "Signifier" video sharing platform and its integrated Signifier Accessible Media Player (SiAMP), designed specifically to address the lack of accessible video media for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (D & HH) users. The authors begin by comparing existing media players (YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Able Player, Video.js) and find that none offer comprehensive accessibility features for D & HH users — most provide only basic captioning at best, with no support for sign language integration, fingerspelling, or signwriting. SiAMP addresses this gap with four key functionalities that users can activate individually or in combination: captions with customizable font size, color, and background; ASL fingerspelling subtitles that display hand shape images representing letters alongside text; a picture-in-picture sign language interpreter video that can be repositioned and resized; and signwriting alphabet subtitles that use visual symbols to represent handshapes. The platform was built with HTML5, JavaScript, CSS on the front end and PHP/MySQL on the back end. The design followed W3C guidelines for subtitles (implementing 14 of 28 guidelines) and sign language interpreter integration (4 of 5 guidelines). The system was initially designed for ASL as it is used by approximately 500,000 people in the US and the ASL community tends to be early adopters of new technology, but was also evaluated with Cypriot Sign Language users.
Key findings
Six Deaf participants evaluated SiAMP — three native ASL users from the US and three native Cypriot Sign Language (CSL) users from Cyprus. All six participants rated captions as having the highest level of utility, confirming that subtitles remain universally perceived as the most essential accessibility feature during video consumption. The sign language interpreter feature was rated extremely useful by all US respondents but received mixed ratings from Cyprus respondents. Notably, ASL subtitles (fingerspelling) received low utility ratings from most participants, suggesting this novel feature may have limited practical value for general video viewing. SignWriting received divergent responses: all US respondents found it not useful while two of three Cyprus respondents rated it extremely useful, highlighting significant cultural differences in preferences between Deaf communities. Two-thirds of all respondents preferred having multiple functionalities available simultaneously, with the combination of sign language interpreter and captions deemed most useful by US respondents, while Cyprus respondents preferred all functionalities together. US respondents showed a strong preference for sign language interpreter as a standalone feature, while Cyprus respondents preferred captions — reflecting different levels of IT engagement and content consumption patterns between the two communities. Most respondents found SiAMP easy to use and expressed confidence in using it without assistance.
Relevance
This paper highlights a critical gap in mainstream video platforms: despite video being one of the most consumed forms of online content, media players still offer minimal accessibility features for D & HH users beyond basic auto-generated captions. The comparison table showing that YouTube, Vimeo, and Dailymotion lack sign language interpreter support, fingerspelling, and signwriting underscores how far behind the industry remains. For accessibility practitioners, the divergent preferences between the US and Cyprus Deaf communities is a key takeaway — it demonstrates that "Deaf accessibility" is not monolithic and that solutions must account for cultural, linguistic, and community-specific differences. The finding that captions are universally valued while other features have variable utility provides practical guidance for prioritizing development resources. The platform's approach of offering multiple combinable functionalities rather than a single fixed solution aligns well with WCAG principles of providing alternatives and supporting user customization. Future directions mentioned — including avatar-based sign language interpretation and AI-driven automated sign language translation — point toward where the field is heading. The small sample size (6 participants) limits generalizability, but the qualitative insights about cross-cultural Deaf community differences are valuable for informing inclusive design.
Tags: deaf accessibility · sign language · media accessibility · video accessibility · inclusive design · media player · captioning
Standards referenced: WCAG · Section 508 · W3C Guidelines for Subtitles · W3C Guidelines for Sign Language Interpreter