Lessons in co-creation: the inconvenient truths of inclusive sign language technology development

TL;DR

This paper critically examines co-creation in sign language technology development, highlighting challenges and offering five lessons to improve inclusive participation of deaf communities in AI projects.

Contribution

It provides an empirically grounded case study with actionable lessons for making co-creation more effective and equitable in AI-driven sign language technology development.

Findings

Recognize and resource deaf partners' invisible labor

Manage expectations through accessible communication

Dismantle structural ableism in co-creation processes

Abstract

In the era of AI-driven language technologies, the participation of deaf communities in sign language technology development, often framed as co-creation, is increasingly emphasized. We present a reflexive case study of two Horizon 2020 projects on sign language machine translation (2021- 2023), conducted with a EUD, a European-level deaf-led NGO. Using participant observation, internal documentation, and collaborative analysis among the authors, we interrogate co-creation as both a practice and a discourse. We offer five lessons for making co-creation consequential: 1) recognise and resource deaf partners invisible labor, 2) manage expectations via accessible science communication, 3) crip co-creation by dismantling structural ableism, 4) diversify participatory methods to address co-creation fatigue and intersectionality, and 5) redistribute power through deaf leadership. We contribute an empirically grounded account of how co-creation plays out in multi-partner AI projects, and actionable implications for design that extend to participatory AI with minoritized language and disability communities.