When 78% of one company’s workforce uses American Sign Language as their first language, workplace surveys in English alone don’t capture the full picture.
That reality drove a groundbreaking collaboration between Texas Social Work’s Institute for Organizational Excellence (IOE) and the Texas School for the Deaf (TSD).
For over four decades, IOE has been a trusted partner helping organizations transform their workplace culture, employee satisfaction and overall performance through research services to state and local government agencies, educational institutions, and private and nonprofit organizations.
Under IOE Director Dr. Noel Landuyt‘s leadership, the institute uses tools like the Survey of Employee Engagement to help organizations unlock critical insights into employee satisfaction and performance.
When the school approached the IOE regarding a workplace engagement study, Geoff Treitel, director of technology and software developer, saw an opportunity to break new ground. In collaboration with IOE, TSD human resources director Julie Dodd, and the team at TSD, development of the school’s first-ever ASL version of the workplace engagement survey began.
The process required careful collaboration. Since ASL uses hand shapes, body movement, and facial expressions with syntax that differs from English, TSD’s video team worked meticulously to ensure each survey question was accurately represented with accessibility.
The result? A seamless interface where participants can choose to watch ASL videos alongside written questions.
Working together works better
The impact was immediate. TSD staff shared that having the survey in ASL made them feel genuinely represented.
“Over the years, my team and I have been committed to making our services deaf-friendly and welcoming to everyone,” said Dodd. “This survey being available in ASL marks a significant step forward in that effort.”
The collaboration exemplifies Texas Social Work’s commitment to innovation that serves human needs. While the SEE has long been available in English and Spanish, as well as screen reader accessibility, the ASL addition demonstrates how thoughtful partnerships can eliminate barriers that many organizations never even recognize.