Deafness and design: An interview with Ravi Vasavan, designer at Koto
This interview took place in writing in a shared Google Doc as part of a project called Text Radio. These are edited excerpts.
Nick: Hello Ravi. In the end, we often talk on the text radio about the medium itself and the role that writing and speaking play in people's lives. You have a strong perspective on it. Would you like to say more about what you think of this medium and how it relates to the way you communicate in general?
Ravi: Yes, the format is a bit familiar to me because I have communicated with many hearing people who have grown up. From pens and paper to grubby old Nokia phones to the iPhone and so on.
As a deaf family, we had a TTY – a Teletype Writer – a technology that connects to a regular phone, and a relay service agent who wrote the text to us, and we're writing back. That was my first encounter with chatting in text format.
I still remember when cell phones came out and how powerful that was. It became an individual thing. I got my own phone and could write in it and give it to friends or strangers so they could answer.
Nick: It's interesting how technology changes communication – especially writing. At the moment, the gap between writing and speaking seems to be narrowing – there is pretty good software to transcribe speech immediately (so a podcast can be made available as a transcription). And writing can be quickly turned into speech. How do you see that? Do you feel that things are changing positively or is the world still pretty slow to do justice to the deaf culture?
Ravi: Yes, it definitely feels like the distance between writing and speaking is being reduced by new technologies, including AI transcription. It is becoming increasingly common to use voice-to-write apps as they become more accurate. The biggest problem, however, is that it is still not a 1: 1 representation of a conversation. Many nuances are lost in transcripts unless they are edited by a person or the host himself. I always wonder what I might miss.
Podcasts were a thorn in my side because I work in an industry that has a lot of interesting people and content. In recent years, most of it has shifted from blogs and magazines to podcasts – which means I can't access a lot of content. Automatic transcription is also priced at around a dollar a minute. Some advocacy (and problems) are required to obtain a transcription.
For design conferences, it is easier to send an email months in advance to organize the hiring of interpreters, etc. I've been to some and found it easier because it's physical. Everyone is there personally – this is connected with a feeling of responsibility.
Logo for deafpower.me
Nick: You recently started this project called deafpower.me. Can you explain the thinking behind it?
Ravi: Yes, it came out of some conversations with Christine Sun Kim, a great artist and thinker and a friend of mine. Also deaf, so there is. It was partly influenced by Able Parris' Equality Symbol project.
Christine and I spoke about this sign <0 /, which has been used in the deaf culture for many years – in written form and in a mixture of drawn or designed graphics. We thought we should give it a real home: a place to educate people and share the rich history of the deaf culture, communities and languages. We hope to expand it into a platform where people can share their own stories.
Nick: Do you have any advice for agencies on how to work with deaf people and how to be considerate of what they do for other people?
Ravi: It is important to acknowledge that you are ready to work with them and that their deafness will not negatively affect them. I got that with James, one of the co-founders of Koto. There was no hesitation in working with me – it was always about my skills and portfolio, not my deafness.
With regard to daily communication, please try to learn the basics of sign language. You don't have to be fluent to communicate. Otherwise, use technology that is available to you to ensure that you are committed. It is always appreciated, even if it is not spoken aloud.
Be open to the process of changing the way the studio works in terms of meetings and creative chases. The division between physical and digital really helps. If you're reading this, I'm always happy to chat with you – check me out on Twitter.
Finally, give people the space and the opportunity to come out like Koto did to me. It took me a while to figure out whether to use my deafness in a way that I initially had doubts about. I feel on a new path to a form of advocacy and am a spokesman (he-he) for my community. Especially at home in Australia. This is definitely something I will continue to focus on to find out where it takes me.
Nick: Well, you are an articulate and thoughtful "speaker" for deafness. So if you continue on this path, many of us will surely watch with interest. Any final thoughts?
Ravi: I actually want to share an anecdote about using the written format as a way of talking to people. I met my current partner eight years ago. I wrote a really cheesy line about what music was played in this bar … and slid my phone over to her through a circle of dancing friends.
Ultimately, I have maybe 1,000 notes between the two of us that go back to that first conversation.
When I spoke here, I thought about how many million notes there are between deaf and hearing people out there. I know that all my family members and friends use this format. Is there a book in there? Could be.
Text Radio is a series of live written conversations conducted by Nick Asbury on Google Docs. You can find more episodes at textradio.co.uk. Text Radio Identity (above) by Studio Sutherland