ASL Educators’ Perspectives on AI for Enhancing Student Learning in American Sign Language Education

Hassan, Saad and Nourian, Laleh and de Lacerda Pataca, Caluã and M Olson, Michelle and D'aurio, Toni and Agarwal, Kanupriya and Asad, Syeda Mah Noor and Tigwell, Garreth W. and Huenerfauth, Matt (2026) ASL Educators’ Perspectives on AI for Enhancing Student Learning in American Sign Language Education. In: CHI 2026: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 13th-17th April 2026, Barcelona Spain.

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Abstract

Interest in learning American Sign Language (ASL) is growing across higher education institutions in North America, as reflected in rising enrollments. Yet this growth is constrained by limited program availability and few opportunities to practice outside the classroom. AI-based technologies show promise for supporting ASL learning, but educators – who bring essential pedagogical, linguistic, and cultural expertise – have been largely absent from conversations on the design of these tools, with prior work focusing primarily on learners. To address this, we conducted formative interviews with eleven Deaf and one hearing ASL instructor, followed by two focus groups with six Deaf educators, to examine how AI tools could support ASL education. Findings revealed priorities for technology design and considerations for integration into existing pedagogical practices, with attention to curricular, linguistic, and access factors. We offer insights for designing and researching technologies aimed at (1) providing adaptive, structured feedback on signing performance and (2) supporting immersive conversational practice with virtual signing partners.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Identification Number:	10.1145/3772318.3791928
Dates:	Date Event 1 April 2026 Accepted 13 April 2026 Published Online
Uncontrolled Keywords:	American Sign Language, ASL, ASL Learning, Sign Language Learners, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Deaf Culture, Sign Languages, Education, Artificial Intelligence, AI, Perspectives on AI, ASL Educators
Subjects:	CAH11 - computing > CAH11-01 - computing > CAH11-01-01 - computer science
Divisions:	Architecture, Built Environment, Computing and Engineering > Computer Science
Depositing User:	Gemma Tonks
Date Deposited:	01 May 2026 13:14
Last Modified:	01 May 2026 13:14
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/17020

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