[vedosity]

Written english is often only a second language for Deaf and hard-of-hearing people. Sign languages have their own idioms, culture, and identity; ASL isn’t signed English.

I previously worked at a video relay service company (VRS in the US is a service paid for by the TRS fund through the FCC, and allows Deaf and hard-of-hearing people to make phone calls through video-chat with a ASL interpreter). In written English-based interactions with Deaf and hard-of-hearing colleagues, there is often a communication barrier as there often is with anyone speaking a second language.

In my personal experience working on tickets written by D/deaf colleagues, while sometimes we could communicate by whiteboard or text-based chat, it was indispensable to have the option to discuss the ticket with someone who could interpret present.

[cat_plus_plus]

Good to know, thanks! I was thrown off by "American" bit so assumed to was fairly close to English.