Let’s Think Outside The Ears!

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Unlock the Potential of Inclusive Communication

Did you know there are over 48 million deaf and hard of hearing people in the USA and an astounding 466 million worldwide? Millions more find it easier to read text than to understand spoken words.

Deafness Is a Spectrum

Deaf and hard-of-hearing people have a wide range of hearing levels, communication preferences, and access needs. Most do not use sign language, and not everyone can lipread or benefit from hearing aids.

Yet businesses often approach deaf accessibility as though one solution works for everyone. Effective communication access starts with understanding these differences.

People with hearing disabilities represent a significant and often underserved customer market. Making your products, services, communications, media, and events more accessible can improve customer experiences, expand audience reach, strengthen customer loyalty, and support stronger business outcomes.

Sound Is Not Enough

Communication is essential to the customer experience. Providing captions, interpreters, or other accommodations does not automatically mean communication is effective or accessible. Understanding deafness and communication access requires looking beyond assumptions and one-size-fits-all solutions.

Audio Accessibility advises businesses and organizations on identifying and addressing gaps in deaf awareness, communication access, and captioning practices.

Through consulting, customized training, and interactive workshops, I work with teams to build greater awareness of the spectrum of deafness and improve communication experiences for customers with hearing disabilities.

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Meet Sveta

I’m Svetlana Kouznetsova, an independent B2B accessibility strategy consultant, published author, and international speaker with more than 25 years of professional experience in design, technology, and accessibility. As a profoundly deaf person, I also bring firsthand experience with communication access and barriers.

I learned about accessibility through my work as a web designer and eventually discovered significant gaps in deaf awareness even within accessibility spaces. This combination of professional expertise and lived experience shaped my focus on deaf awareness, communication access, and captioning best practices.

I am the author of Sound Is Not Enough: Captioning as Universal Design and the speaker behind the TEDx talk How Captions Increase ROI and Audience for Media Creators.

Learn more about Sveta