Uber aims to teach riders sign language in support of deaf awareness month

Uber is giving its riders an opportunity to learn how to sign their name and other phrases in American Sign Language.

You can go to ubersignlanguage.com and find a list of phrases to learn in sign language including, ‘hello, I am (your name), thank you, turn left, turn right, yes, no, goodbye, on the right and on the left.’

This initiative stems from Uber’s partnership with the Communication Service for the Deaf that started in 2016. 

Uber, recognizes that “unemployment or underemployment in the Deaf or Hard of Hearing community is close to 70%. At uber, we’re proud to provide earning opportunities to Deaf and Hard of Hearing drivers across the world and in more than 200 US cities.”

The CEO Chris Soukup of CSD explained to Uber why he was excited about the partnership, “Uber has incorporated accessible technology for Deaf and hard of hearing people directly into their app, providing unprecedented access for the Deaf community to make money by driving with Uber. This partnership with CSD will provide more than a simple opportunity for Deaf driver-partners to give rides to people on the road- it’s an opportunity to build bridges between people and influence a new perception of the abilities and humanity of Deaf people.”

“…it’s an opportunity to build bridges between people and influence a new perception of the abilities and humanity of Deaf people.”

In order to make Uber more friendly for deaf and hard of hearing drivers, Uber added in some deaf and hard of hearing friendly features back in 2015. These features include:

• Flashing trip request notification, instead of an audio notification.
• Text only communication.
• Advance notifications to the rider to inform them that their driver is deaf or hard of hearing.
• An additional request for the rider to enter their destination in advance rather than asking the driver to enter the destination manually.

Read more: 10 Hearing Loss Stories that Defined 2015

The release of ubersignlanguage.com for riders to use is another great example of how Uber is working to understand what the deaf and hard of hearing community needs to have a successful driving experience.

Read more: How to learn sign language

We hope to see more companies joining in on this initiative by learning how to sign and being more inclusive to all people.

• Author Details

Author Details

Kirsten Brackett

Kirsten is the managing editor of Hearing Like Me. She has a moderate hearing loss and currently wears Phonak Audéo B-R rechargeable hearing aids. Outside of working for Hearing Like Me, she can be found exploring new cities, trying out new recipes in her kitchen, or hiking. She loves learning about different cultures and languages.