Deaf Tech

A framework and design orientation for technologies created by, with, and centering Deaf communities. Deaf Tech emphasizes participatory design, cultural relevance, and alignment with Deaf epistemologies and practices, rather than positioning Deaf users as end-consumers of hearing-designed tools. It contrasts with 'after-the-fact retrofits' - accessibility features such as caption overlays or interpreter boxes added onto hearing-normed systems - and instead asks how technologies can be designed from the start around visual primacy, sign language, and Deaf ways of knowing.