Improving Communication Accessibility for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Transit Riders
Public transportation agencies have made substantial progress in improving physical accessibility through investments in infrastructure, vehicle design, and wayfinding. Considerably less attention has been given to communication accessibility for riders who are deaf or hard of hearing, particularly during dynamic or unexpected travel conditions. Accessibility research has focused primarily on mobility and navigation, leaving transit agencies with limited guidance on effective communication strategies and technologies to support accessibility for individuals with hearing disabilities. Advances in communication technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), real-time captioning, digital signage, mobile applications, assistive listening systems, video remote interpreting, and multimodal communication platforms, offer opportunities to improve accessible communication throughout the transit experience. Although many of these technologies are commercially available or being piloted by transit agencies, little is known about their operational readiness, effectiveness, scalability, customer acceptance, workforce implications, lifecycle costs, or integration with existing transit systems. Research is needed to evaluate communication technologies and their interaction with users, assess their applicability to public transportation environments, and develop guidance to help agencies implement accessible communication strategies that meet the needs of riders who are deaf or hard of hearing while benefiting a broad range of transit customers. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research is to develop a decision-making framework and toolkit that enable public transportation agencies to identify, evaluate, select, deploy, and assess communication technologies and strategies that improve accessibility for riders who are deaf or hard of hearing and people who benefit from nonaudible communication.
- Record URL:
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Supplemental Notes:
- Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Programmed
- Funding: $250,000.00
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Contract Numbers:
Project B-59
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Sponsor Organizations:
Federal Transit Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC United States 20590 -
Managing Organizations:
Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP)
Transportation Research Board
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC United States 20001 -
Project Managers:
Schoby, Jamaal
- Start Date: 20270104
- Expected Completion Date: 0
- Actual Completion Date: 0
- USDOT Program: Transit Cooperative Research Program
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Deaf persons; Persons with disabilities; Transit riders; Traveler information and communication systems
- Subject Areas: Passenger Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Society;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01973730
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
- Contract Numbers: Project B-59
- Files: TRB, RIP
- Created Date: Dec 8 2025 7:52PM