Requirements of deaf user of information visualization. An interdisciplinary approach

In literature exist many links to translation of speech into sign language and links to gesturing with avatars. But the author cannot get any link to a visualization of background knowledge which deaf people are lacking. The author himself is hearing impaired. Therefore he knows of the importance of a good visualization of information needed to get the correct mental model. In this paper he claims that gesturing with avatars should be supplemented by visualization of background-knowledge. Based on the distinction between data, information and knowledge it is shown that efforts must be directed toward the visualization of complex, interlaced and situation-aware data to get the requirements of deaf people in a right manner.