Abstract
In this article, I study how a Deaf-owned company, Convo Communications, builds on accessibility as the baseline from which members contribute to more inclusive workspaces through innovative technologies and communication practices. I analyze the company’s website, blog posts, and videos to demonstrate how this organization embodies the value of accessible communication and a collective vision, how the members design more accessible ways to connect and use their expertise to educate other businesses and professionals, and the organizational commitment to communication diversity and accessible conversations. The findings lead to implications for even more inclusive business and professional communication practices.
Sign language–interpreted video phone calls between Deaf 1 professionals who sign and hearing individuals who speak show how business and professional communication can be accessible across languages and modalities. These phone calls occur through video relay services in which the Deaf caller and hearing caller connect through an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter; the Deaf person sees the interpreter on our screen while the hearing person hears the interpreter’s voice on their phone. While there are different video relay service (VRS) providers across the nation and the world, one of these providers—Convo Communications—distinguishes itself for being a company that is “Deaf-owned, Deaf-run, and signing-centric” (Convo Communications, 2024). Convo centers accessibility in its operations and branding while showing its members’ dedication to the development of more accessible communication technologies. Convo’s commitment to accessibility as the baseline for professional communication makes it an exemplar for those of us in business and professional communication (BPC) who aim to make conversations in our field even more inclusive.
With an emphasis on how Deaf professionals and people with disabilities are innovators who can create more inclusive workplaces and a more socially just world, this article shares my analysis of how Convo shows the value of communication access and inclusion in its public messages online. My analysis of Convo interweaves with important principles in accessibility in business and professional communication while moving our field forward into the creation of even more accessible conversations and professional spaces.
As “the world’s largest Deaf-owned company” (Convo Marketing, 2023b), Convo builds on accessibility as the baseline from which members innovate new technologies and communication practices that contribute to more inclusive spaces. I analyze the company’s website, blog posts, and videos with a focus on BPC as I demonstrate how organizational members build on their lived experiences and expertise to advocate for more inclusive communication practices in the workplace. My analysis is framed through the lens of accessibility in BPC, and the next section situates my study within scholarship in our field. I start by building on the arguments and accomplishments of BPC teacher-scholars who have made disability studies, accessibility, and disability justice central in their work. I endorse teacher-scholars’ elevation of disabled users as design participants who transform inaccessible technologies and spaces into accessible ones. My intersection with scholars’ and advocates’ calls to contribute to a collective culture of access, to privilege the needs of those with disabilities, and to value deaf employees sets the stage for my analysis.
My analysis of themes in Convo’s messaging shows how this organization embodies the values of accessible communication and a collective vision, how the members design more accessible ways to connect individuals and use their expertise to educate other businesses and professionals, and how the organization commits to communication diversity and the innovation of even more accessible communication. These themes connect with implications for contributing to a profession of accessible conversations, including by honoring diverse embodiments and communication preferences.
Accessibility in Business and Professional Communication
When I analyze Convo, I build on and extend the arguments of scholars and advocates who have made disability studies, accessibility, and disability justice central in their work. This line of work needs to be amplified since the relative lack of study in this area was highlighted by Knight (2018), who used her project to reveal that “the keywords accessibility and disability have been almost entirely absent in professional meetings and journals of business and professional communication” (p. 29). Her argument for more research that centers on accessibility as informed by disability studies joined and was echoed by scholars who have contributed to accessibility in our field, as discussed in this section.
Accessibility in BPC was made salient in two notable special issues of Business and Professional Communication Quarterly guest-edited by Oswal. In the introduction to one of these special issues, Knight and Oswal (2018) foregrounded research and “models for what can be done to advance knowledge about accessibility and disability in the context of business and professional communication” (p. 395). The contributors to these two issues created a collective trove of information about making our pedagogies and field more accessible. Among other contributors, Konrad (2018) studied workplace accessibility for blind and visually impaired workers and supported collaborative approaches; Nielsen (2018) shared a pedagogical approach to transformative usability that incorporates accessibility from the start; and Clegg (2018) showed how students can caption professional presentations to make them more accessible. Convo goes further in showing how a company foregrounds collective accessibility from the beginning to create even more inclusive professional spaces.
Convo’s commitment to inclusive conversations, particularly in the workplace, makes it an exemplar for more accessible business and professional communication. The members of Convo include Deaf and hard-of-hearing executives and managers as well as employees in IT and engineering; marketing and business; customer support; legal counsel; and social media—and many hearing interpreters (The Org, 2024). Many of these members work behind the scenes creating and supporting the technologies that make it possible for Deaf callers and hearing callers to connect through interpreters. At the same time, these members belong to an organization that has built accessibility in from the ground up. The simultaneous application of accessibility within the organization and for its community members in other organizations shows our field how we can enact even more inclusive communication within our professional and pedagogical spheres.
The mission of making video call conversations flow more seamlessly was fundamental in the establishment of Convo in 2009 (Convo, 2023h). As the company writes in a blog post, “We understand what it’s like not being able to express yourself authentically and naturally. That’s the urgency that powers us to work together to create a better planet for everyone. After all, Convo stands for conversations” (Convo Marketing, 2023a). The Deaf members of this organization—who use videophones to make calls—built on their lived experiences to make phone calls between Deaf and hearing people feel more natural. This contrasted with other services in which interpreters would introduce themselves to the hearing caller and then introduce the Deaf caller, a process that often caused the hearing caller to talk directly to the interpreter about the Deaf person in the third person instead of talking to the Deaf person directly in the first person. Convo changed the “conversation experience” and “the relationship between Deaf caller, interpreter, and hearing caller” (Convo Communications, 2023). As their website tells potential hires, “our interpreters are prepared to follow the direction the callers take—the deaf callers are in control, no questions asked,” and their philosophy includes “advocating for caller ownership, and promoting inclusion” (Convo, 2023j). This commitment to agency motivated Convo to develop other services that would promote more inclusive conversations, including on-demand virtual interpreting services for in-person professional meetings, providing companies with interpreters who are familiar with a profession’s discourse, and other workplace services discussed later.
My study of this Deaf-led organization is a concrete example that contributes to Oswal’s (2018) inspiring line of research on accessibility in our field and his consistent push for accessibility to be moved out of the margins and into our “disciplinary definitions” (p. 14). He argued that “the findings of the Disability Studies field have again and again pointed out to us to look toward our disabled students and colleagues, because that is where we can locate the ‘levers of change’ through participatory methods of teaching and learning” (p. 14). As Oswal (2023) has shown, practitioners and instructors can center disability studies and collaborate with disabled users, designers, and practitioners to make our work more accessible. I extend such arguments by spotlighting how Convo markets its members’ expertise as innovative Deaf individuals who transform spaces through technologies and communication.
The valuable relationship between accessibility and transformation has been articulated by disability studies scholars, including Melonçon (2018), who built on her commitment to accessibility to show that students who enter the workplace need “the ability to perform critical analytic work within the frames of disability studies that could ensure greater accessibility of products, services, and information” (p. 35). Browning and Cagle (2017) detailed a critical accessibility case study approach to teaching technical communication while Lewthwaite et al. (2018) argued for the value of critical disability studies in accessibility that foregrounds people and accessibility as a core value. My critical analysis of Convo, including its emphasis on the value of communication diversity and communication access, highlights such strategies that students and researchers can use to push for more inclusive pedagogical and professional spaces.
My analysis of Convo fulfills Zdenek’s (2018) longstanding push for greater accessibility in technical and professional communication (TPC) and his argument that “TPC can serve as a needed bridge between disability theory and the practice of making texts and technologies accessible” (p. 4). Building on disability studies, he consistently demonstrates the need to attend to accessibility from the start and include the “voices, perspectives, and values of people with disabilities” at every phase (p. 5). Zdenek (2020) has continued to emphasize how our research and practice can critique and transform inaccessible digital texts and technologies into accessible ones, and challenge conventional assumptions about who technologies are for—such as through studies of captions that benefit a range of users. Convo makes these arguments concrete by fulfilling its members’ vision of more inclusive technological and communication practices.
The members of Convo—including Deaf individuals and hearing interpreters—have collectively created an organizational community in which access is central, and this organization embodies values that are central in disability studies. Grounded in their lived experiences, the members of Convo consistently innovate ways to make conversations even more accessible through improving how humans use technologies. Convo’s commitment furthers the arguments made by Dolmage (2008) and Yergeau et al. (2013) for making disability studies central in the design of more inclusive physical and digital spaces. They highlight the importance of privileging the needs of people with disabilities (Dolmage, 2017) in ways that create a culture of access, or a culture in which all members are committed to accessibility (Brewer et al., 2014). Studying Convo is an act that promotes our related fields’ culture of access and enhances accessible pedagogies, including the work of Palmeri (2006) and Walters (2010, 2011), who made the topic central in their technical communication pedagogies, and Oswal and Melonçon (2014), who detailed how to make online TPC courses more accessible. With more specific foci, Ortiz (2020) studied neurodiversity in a business communication course and the benefits of being neurodivergent in the workplace while Hitt (2018) argued that “addressing disability explicitly is necessary for designing spaces and texts that are truly usable and accessible for disabled people and for ensuring that we do not erase the experiences and needs of a variety of nonnormative users” (p. 55). Convo foregrounds the advantages of being Deaf in the innovation of accessible communication technologies that connect Deaf and hearing individuals.
Convo’s work echoes scholars who have been pivotal in pushing for accessibility—and particularly disability justice with its commitment to collective access (Berne et al., 2018) and “complexly intersectional embodiments” (Bennett & Hannah, 2022). Professional communicators can align with Jones’s (2016) argument for technical communicators as advocates for social justice—and be advocates for disability justice (Wheeler, 2018). Detailing her pedagogy, Wheeler (2018) shows that when students shift “their understanding of communication from a nondisabled center to a disabled one, the agency of people with disabilities is no longer enveloped in narratives of charity or care” (p. 93). Moreover, in a “workplace environment where access is expected, access and equality for people with disabilities is no longer something to be provided; rather, it is created, not as a retrofit but as a hallmark of effective and ethical business communication” (p. 93). When accessibility is a practice that everyone can expect to commit to, we propel more meaningful inclusion of diverse embodiments and communication and recognize the expertise of those with disabilities.
The underlying value of accessibility informs my study of Convo in the following sections as I turn to advocacy for disability justice (Berne et al., 2018; Mingus, 2011; Piepzna-Samarasinha, 2018), principally the principle of collective access and the importance of leadership by those who experience oppression (Berne et al. 2018). While honoring disability justice as a concept that was founded by “brown/black and queer crips” and that emphasizes intersectionality, or how disability intersects with race, gender, and other identity categories (Berne et al., 2018, p. 228), I hope my article promotes the value and ethics of disability-led accessibility in BPC. The ethics of accessibility have been detailed by Bennett and Hannah (2022), who acknowledge “disability justice’s understanding of access as a collective, shared responsibility across communities” (p. 337) and provide TPC with “an ethical framework grounded in disability justice” (p. 328). Their guidelines for rights-based discourse include values that deepen my study of Convo, particularly reframing access as a collective endeavor, moving toward equity, disabled leadership, and considering different embodiments (pp. 342-345). Convo commits to collective access and equity in ways that elevate Deaf experiences and needs. Reframing what it means to create access, this Deaf-led organization educates professionals about the creation of more accessible workspaces.
As we move into an analysis of Convo through the lens of accessibility in professional communication, we can bring with us the argument presented by Cordano (2022) in an article titled “Is your organization inclusive of deaf employees?” in Harvard Business Review. Cordano, the president of Gallaudet University and a distinguished deaf attorney, demonstrated how the “experiences of the deaf community build an abundance of innate skills that are invaluable to every workplace,” including skills developed from navigating “the world and systems not built for them,” which causes them to “adapt, problem solve, and innovate, often reinventing technology” (para. 5). As an example, during the pandemic, “deaf people brought attention to key flaws of major video meeting platforms, resulting in significant design modifications benefitting all users” (para. 5). She provided organizations with guidelines for embracing differences, including these: create a welcoming culture, hire deaf people, be willing to learn and encourage learning, and avoid assumptions and ask questions. These guidelines are sensed in the values, ethos, and messaging of Convo.
My analysis will show what we can learn from Convo’s advocacy for more accessible and inclusive technologies and conversations. To move toward making accessible communication even more central in BPC, we can begin with an overview of my approach.
Method and Themes
This case study of Convo is positioned through the lens of accessibility in business and professional communication. While there are larger video relay providers (particularly Sorenson Communications) and many other companies that engage in accessibility and technologies, I selected Convo for its role in being a well-known Deaf-owned business in the Deaf community that focuses entirely on accessible communication and technologies. These connected and distinguishing elements make Convo an ideal company to study to reveal how Deaf people and individuals with disabilities contribute to more inclusive communication practices.
For this case study, I reviewed Convo’s online materials, including its website, blog posts, and videos; in these materials, Convo addresses a range of audiences about the services it provides, shares its ethos and values for accessible communication, and advocates for more inclusive communication practices. For the purposes of my case study, I focused on the materials related to BPC, including materials that share the value of accessibility, address hearing businesses with Deaf clients or employees, and target Deaf professionals and employees. That process narrowed down the number of pages, posts, and videos, particularly by bringing the number of videos down to three—including two videos in which Jarrod Musano, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairperson of Convo, and Wayne Betts Jr., Co-Founder and Chief Strategic Officer (CSO) of Convo, discussed their organization. Embodying multilingual accessibility, most of Convo’s pages and blog posts are available in ASL and written English with videos alongside written text.
Informed by qualitative research approaches to collecting and analyzing qualitative data in the form of documents and artifacts (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015), I developed and identified themes for accessibility in BPC. The themes that emerged through my study of Convo’s materials are detailed in the following section and show how BPC can become more accessible and inclusive. These themes include the value of accessible communication and natural conversations, the organization’s collective vision and ethos, how organizational members are innovative humans who design more accessible ways to connect with other humans, how they use their expertise to educate other businesses about how to be more accessible, the organizational commitment to communication diversity and inclusion of individuals with different communication preferences, and the innovation of even more accessible technology and inclusive communication.
The arguments of accessibility scholars in business and professional communication underlie and underscore these themes, particularly this message: we must always appreciate that people with disabilities are innovative professionals who actively draw from their experiences and expertise to develop more accessible technologies and inclusive spaces, and we can emulate these individuals and organizations by joining them in enacting accessibility and inclusion.
Analysis of Themes in Blog Posts, Videos, and Website
Accessible Communication and Natural Conversations (Values)
To appreciate how Convo advocates for more accessible and inclusive communication practices to professionals and businesses, we can begin with the values that have existed in the organization since the very start. The values that the organization and its individuals place on accessible and inclusive conversations are conveyed through its website and associated media. Discerning how accessibility is the heart of this corporation will help us unpack how BPC can become even more inclusive.
The value of accessibility permeates through Convo’s sites as it communicates to a variety of audiences, including Deaf and hearing professionals and businesses. This message is reiterated on Convo’s Careers page as it recruits potential employees by telling them they can “make a difference with every connection, one conversation at a time” (Convo, 2023c). In two separate year-in-review conversations, CEO Jarrod Musano and CSO Wayne Betts Jr. discussed the value of accessible conversations, with Musano explaining their desire to find more ways for Deaf people to communicate, saying, “We [want to] figure out how we can be able to communicate freely. That’s really what it’s about: Freedom” (Convo Communications, 2022). As a blog post about one of Musano and Betts’ conversations summarizes, “It’s the search for accessible communication in a way that feels authentic and that engineers the drive of conversations” (Convo Marketing, 2023a). The primary motivation for connection intersects with Yergeau et al. (2013), Dolmage (2008, 2017), and their colleagues’ recognition of the value of including all individuals as active participants in the collective design of shared spaces.
The emphasis on making conversations flow naturally between Deaf people and hearing people becomes especially important when considering the variety of communication preferences that individuals have. Knowing this, Convo was a pioneer and consistent proponent of customizing individuals’ video relay services (VRS) experiences, as it shows on its website, which includes phrases such as “Be you in every call” and “We get that there’s no one size that fits all” (Convo, 2023g). Having agency in your conversational experiences becomes salient in another blog post geared toward Deaf professionals that describes how Convo can support them: “Our Workplace bundle is designed to make your workplace a natural experience for you through ownership of your communication style, the way you like it” (Convo Marketing, 2023b). We can sense here an applied version of the philosophies of Oswal (2018), Hitt (2018), Palmeri (2006), and fellow teacher-scholars who elevate the distinct needs of those with disabilities to promote equitable communication access.
With a major focus on communication access, Convo’s materials might not explicitly foreground disability justice’s values of intersectional embodiments—or the ways in which disability intersects with race, gender, and other identities (Berne et al., 2018; Bennett & Hannah, 2022). While disability justice reveals that disability is not a “distinct identity” separate from other race, gender, and other identities (Bennett & Hannah, 2022, p. 341), Convo shows its understanding of how Deaf individuals have different communication preferences that deserve to be met. This study of Convo can initiate further advocacy for inclusive communication in BPC while supporting disability justice’s fight against ableism alongside “other systems of oppression, such as racism or sexism” (p. 341). Accessibility is the root that underlies every development and initiative as this organization recognizes the value of making conversations accessible in different ways, including by giving individuals the choice, opportunities, freedom, and ownership to communicate in the most natural and comfortable way possible. This far exceeds a standard approach to accessibility that might focus on satisfying the minimum standards, and reinforces the transformative power of inclusion and agency in the workplace. Those in BPC should likewise deeply understand and serve the diversity of professionals’, users’, and other members’ experiences and communication preferences to make spaces more inclusive of different identities—including race, gender, disability, and other identities.
Collective Vision (Ethos)
The passion for accessibility permeates in Convo’s ethos, including the vision of those in the organization and their dedication to collaboration and collective movement forward. They show how a Deaf-owned organization is far from isolated; these professionals are networked into the Deaf and hearing worlds and use these connections as opportunities for technological innovation and more accessible conversations—and this models how BPC can aim to be more interactive with fellow citizens in our academic and professional workspaces.
Convo’s vision shines as members work together to communicate the value of innovating new ways to bring communication access to individuals everywhere. In a video conversation, CSO Betts and CEO Musano showed how much they value learning from others and being open-minded; making an impact; and being flexible in learning and changing (Convo Communications, 2023). This ethos includes a sense of urgency about missed conversations occurring anywhere and ensuring that Deaf people can access reciprocal conversations (Convo Communications, 2023). Betts discussed the importance of traveling to their international locations and getting “exposure to ideas and different perspectives and some humility and then, getting back to that idea of affirmations, being part of this” (Convo Communications, 2023). These motivations resemble Oswal’s (2018) elevation of disability studies to the center of TPC with attention to disabled individuals as participants in the process of creating accessibility as well as disability justice’s push of disabled leadership to the front (Bennett & Hannah, 2022; Berne et al., 2018). Those in BPC should likewise recognize the power that comes when individuals who experience ableism and other forms of oppression take the lead in collectively transforming inaccessibility into accessibility, as the members of Convo—at all levels of the company—do.
The organization’s ethos is made manifest through its media, including in a video in which various employees shared messages in ASL celebrating Convo’s 15th anniversary. In this video, Betts stated, “It’s always been a big vision. . .. And to have people come together to work together, and sharing that vision, continues to remind me that it’s not just one idea. It’s becoming a bigger collective of ideas” (Convo Communications, 2024). Musano remarked, “If it solves my challenges, it’s solving millions of other people’s challenges, too” (Convo Communications, 2024). Their collective vision of accessibility is articulated in a blog post that affirms their evolution over time as they make a “slow but gradual impact” that “will lead to changing the society that has always been hearing-dominated” (Convo Marketing, 2023a). This language shows how these professionals collaboratively solve challenges experienced by their community—and use their shared vision to make other workplaces and society more accessible.
Organizations in BPC can learn from Convo’s collective vision and leadership as we aim to enhance conversations between diverse individuals. To commit further to disability justice, we must more carefully consider the intersectionality of the members of our organizations since “individuals are simultaneously influenced by experiences with ableism, sexism, racism, and other oppressive forces, [and] to resolve one form of oppression, one must address all” (Bennett & Hannah, 2022, p. 342). The experiences of everyone in an organization, particularly those who experience oppression, can motivate and shape the collective design of more inclusive professions for human beings.
Human Designers and Connections
The values and ethos of Convo are articulated in its consistent messaging about how this is a Deaf-owned organization, which amplifies the credibility and expertise of its members. These explicit statements are an affirmation to the world—and to professional communicators—that Deaf people are designers and transformers who contribute to human connections.
Convo’s materials and members clearly underscore its unique nature as an organization of Deaf humans. The “About Us” page of its website reads, “As a Deaf-owned company, our understanding of human connection is different than most. In a rapidly-advancing world, technology is often developed on the basis of spoken language. We offer a different perspective: universal communication solutions that just feel right” (Convo, 2023a). What they do is this: “We connect humans,” and “Innovate from within. We bring new meaning to design. How we connect signers and technology is our contribution to the world” (Convo, 2023a). Grounded in their lived experiences, the members of this company genuinely understand what it is like to need accessible communication and can innovate new approaches to using technology to connect with hearing people.
This grounded innovation extends to other professions. One blog post includes this line: “As the largest Deaf-owned business in the world, we have created solutions that seamlessly integrate sign language communication into the workplace and customer environments across the globe” (Convo Marketing, 2022a). Another blog post explaining Convo Workplace shows how the company’s expertise strengthens their service. The post includes this: “Convo Workplace is a must for any Deaf professional because we know what quality communication looks like at work, and we understand how it feels when someone has poor access to communication” (Convo Marketing, 2023b). On another webpage, they market themselves as “experts at understanding the unique needs of each organization and [who] will help you achieve Deaf inclusion” (Convo, 2023i). Through honoring human connections, they contribute to more accessible technologies and inclusive professions.
Convo’s meaningful contribution sets them apart from certain organizations, as CEO Musano pointed out in a conversation with CSO Betts. Musano explained: “before I got into Convo, I used to look at marketing from different sources and they were a real turnoff. They spoke down to deaf people” (Convo Communications, 2022). In contrast, Convo’s marketing was real and “reflects me as a person. It just demonstrates an understanding of how we could frame this to the world that it’s important. We’re real people. We have varying backgrounds and that’s what makes it beautiful” (Convo Communications, 2022). The members of Convo transcend the use of patronizing and ableist language in a genuine recognition of the expertise, diverse embodiments, and lived experiences of Deaf individuals and the community.
Convo’s marketing is not just advertising; it is heartfelt, as sensed in their support and amplification of the Deaf Ecosystem, “the flow of money and resources within the Deaf community” (Convo, 2023f). They do their part consistently, including when explaining what the Convo Workplace package includes: “Cultivating and nurturing the Deaf Ecosystem is a big part of how we support the Deaf community. In our Workplace package, you’ll get access to the entire Deaf Ecosystem directory with more than 800 Deaf businesses” (Convo Marketing, 2023b). By connecting users with other Deaf businesses and small Deaf businesses, they create more financial opportunities for community individuals to support each other.
Convo’s commitment to the Deaf community illustrates the important role that leading organizations can play in contributing to social justice—particularly the principle of interdependence, or how we all rely on and support each other to create a more accessible world (Bennett & Hannah, 2022; Berne et al. 2018; Jones, 2016; Wheeler, 2018). We in BPC should likewise put words to action and support the community members in our professional and personal spheres—and we can go further in supporting members and organizations from marginalized communities.
Knowledge, Expertise, and Education
Convo consistently uses its expertise as the world’s largest Deaf-owned company to educate hearing businesses about its services. In addition to using standard VRS (in which interpreters are randomly assigned to a call without knowing the terminology or context of the call), Deaf professionals can also utilize “a dedicated interpreting experience customized to [their] preferences,” which will include “interpreters that know and understand [the] industry” (Convo Marketing, 2023b). Such customization supports the flow of workplace conversations and more inclusive discourse, and Convo’s Business page highlights the different interpreting services it can provide to support businesses who have Deaf clients or employees. Starting with its expertise in understanding the “importance of good communication access for your business,” Convo states that “we empower Deaf people to take control of their conversations” and help create a “more inclusive and accessible business” (Convo, 2023b). Such messaging informs organizations and businesses about how exactly to enact accessibility—and those in BPC can likewise utilize our professional expertise to strengthen communication strategies that enhance inclusion across communities.
The expertise and experiences of Convo’s members is evident in blog posts that focus on educating hearing audiences about making professional and other spaces more accessible for Deaf people. A post entitled “7 questions you wanted to ask Deaf employees but were afraid to ask” includes questions and answers about how to work with interpreters and related points (Convo Marketing, 2022b). By explaining points that hearing people might not be familiar with, this resource supports the integration of accessibility in the workplace. Another blog post on Deaf inclusion includes this statement: “As the largest Deaf-owned company in the world, we understand what true inclusion means. Sometimes, it may seem as if you are practicing inclusion because a Deaf person is in the room, but still not achieving true inclusion” (Convo Marketing, 2022a). The entry lists mistakes (e.g., not making eye contact with a Deaf employee when an interpreter is present) and explains what to do instead (e.g., address the Deaf employee directly and maintain eye contact and connection). Instead of “Treating everyone ‘too equally,’” thinking that an “accommodation is one-size-fits-all,” and keeping “guidelines the same,” organizations should spotlight the interpreter if lights are turned off during a presentation and provide access copies of the presentation; ask Deaf employees what their communication preferences are, including lip reading and assistive listening devices; and check for captions and work for full accessibility (Convo Marketing, 2022a). These examples are written from the perspective of people who have experienced excluding acts and know how to enact and promote inclusion.
Such entries are a mirror of Cordano’s (2022) points about the importance for organizations to create a sense of belonging, to hire deaf people, and to be willing to learn and ask questions without making assumptions. As Cordano pointed out, deaf people “enhance communication” and “drive a culture of effective communication, both benefiting the multilingual talent in the room and strengthening global teams” (para. 6). This Deaf-owned organization uses technology to enhance communication can promote further knowledge and action for further inclusion in the hearing world. And that collective effort will enhance accessible communication in workspaces as we in BPC learn from and through our different lived experiences to communicate more successfully across organizations and communities.
Communication Diversity and Inclusion
Convo’s members’ lived experiences make accessibility a baseline from which all communication and connections thrive. The company’s messaging shows how accessibility and diversity should be intertwined in the creation of more inclusive communication practices in the workplace.
Communication diversity is embodied in a blog post about data analytics in business with a photograph and two illustrations with charts, graphs, and metrics that include individuals signing (Convo Marketing, 2020). A business-oriented blog post that builds on a conversation between Betts and Musano highlights the following: “Just thinking about these people who are struggling to have conversations inspires Convo to work harder in making sure that the technology aligns with the needs of the Deaf community. By making sure that accessibility is a priority in new developments in technology, we can push for more equity for everyone” (Convo Marketing 2023a). Communication access, technological innovation, and working toward equity are prioritized by elevating the needs of those who rely on technology for communication.
Convo amplifies awareness through explicitly informing hearing companies about the benefits of communication diversity and access. In a blog post, the following myth about access is debunked: “If I provide sign language interpreters for Deaf clients, I won’t need to provide captions” (Convo Marketing, 2022c). The post immediately explains, “This is a myth. The Deaf community is rich in linguistic diversity. . .,” and adds this: “Just one accommodation request may wind up making the event inclusive to many others, unbeknownst to you” (Convo Marketing, 2022c). Linguistic diversity means that individuals have different preferences for communication, and it is important to create different options for accessible communication.
This same post shows the values that are rooted in the baseline of accessibility, communication diversity, and inclusion (Convo Marketing, 2022c). The post writes: “Our philosophy revolves around the idea that every Deaf caller has ownership over all of their calls” and ensuring that Deaf individuals have “control over when and how conversations happen, so they can fully participate and self-advocate” (Convo Marketing, 2022c). It emphasizes the “uniqueness of individualized Deaf communication preferences and the importance of a simple and efficient connection to a trustworthy interpreter” (Convo Marketing, 2022c). To “ignite true inclusion of accessibility that feels right for everyone” (Convo Marketing, 2022c), Deaf individuals are participatory members in the professional community and are empowered to choose how to communicate effectively. This empowerment is enhanced through educating hearing audiences about accessibility and inclusion.
While calls made through video relay services are free, other interpreting services are not—but Convo frames this as an opportunity for businesses to contribute to more inclusive futures. When companies are paired with top interpreters who are versed in the professional discourse, Deaf professionals are empowered to communicate effectively with hearing colleagues using the language and terminology of their area of expertise. As Convo tells businesses, “we recommend considering this as an investment. It’s an investment in your company or organization” as they provide “customized solutions designed to make Deaf Inclusion a reality” (Convo Marketing, 2022b). That up-front cost becomes an investment in the future of an equitable company.
Through its messaging, Convo shows that everyone deserves to be involved in intentionally valuing communication diversity and accessibility in the workplace. As part of disability justice in our fields and in the movement from equality to equity (Bennett & Hannah, 2022), other organizations can become more inclusive of Deaf individuals and invest in technologies and services that make communication more accessible. Our colleagues have unique preferences and needs—and we all should invest in each other’s needs and successes as human beings in our drive for more accessible and just professions.
Innovation of Accessible Technology and Communication
When BPC is inclusive, all members are invested in the creation of more accessible and diverse workplace cultures. Convo models how professionals with different lived experiences innovate new technologies and effective communication. This is sensed in Convo’s development of a new service for the community, Convo Now, which is grounded in Deaf individuals’ desire for more accessible face-to-face conversations with hearing people.
As the company explains, “Convo Now is an on-demand video interpreting service designed for in-person conversations” (Convo, 2023d). Deaf individuals can converse with hearing people in any physical space while an interpreter is on their phone to interpret the conversation—which would create more possibilities for in-person conversations. However, while video relay services for phone calls are paid for by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), on-demand services for in-person conversations are not free. Convo recognizes this limitation with the following statement: “We agree that the burden should not fall on the D/HH [Deaf and hard-of-hearing] community and we encourage businesses and employers to support communication access by funding Convo Now services. We can help on the advocacy and education front” (Convo, 2023d). They show the importance of continuing to advocate for greater access as an investment in the collective future of workplaces.
To promote this accessible technology, Convo highlights the benefits of empowering workplaces in a blog post about Convo Now. Their messaging includes language such as “In the journey to redefine accessibility, Convo Now stands as a beacon—empowering connections, fostering inclusivity, and simplifying communication” (Convo Marketing, 2024). They explain that “Convo Now goes beyond mere dialogue in the workplace” and “opens up endless possibilities for meaningful conversations” (Convo Marketing, 2024). Instead of having to schedule an interpreter in advance or looking for other ways to communicate, workers and clients can immediately have a conversation facilitated by an interpreter on their phone. In doing so, “Convo Now empowers Deaf employees to seamlessly contribute their knowledge, skills, and talents in real-time situations. . .” and “enhances workforce productivity, elevates the quality of products and services, and fosters a workplace environment that champions diversity and inclusion” (Convo Marketing, 2024). Zdenek (2018, 2020) would recognize how Convo transforms inaccessible texts and technologies with attention to accessibility from the beginning.
Buttressing the company’s holistic statements, Convo shows examples of how Convo Now could benefit businesses and employees. The same blog post provides data as evidence of potential missed income when not including or empowering Deaf employees, as well as the increase in productivity when people with disabilities have accommodations. The entry shows how Convo Now can support companies’ brand images and “the creation of inclusive workplaces for the betterment of society” (Convo Marketing, 2024). While articulating the benefits of their service, they provide a link to a letter template that Deaf employees can use to request Convo Now in their workplace (Convo, 2023e). This letter includes benefits for “the overall efficiency and inclusivity” of the workplace, including timely communication, enhanced productivity, supporting a positive brand image, and cost-effectiveness (Convo, 2023e).
Through the introduction and marketing of Convo Now, Convo disseminates an accessible technology, educates hearing businesses and professionals, and empowers Deaf employees and professionals across different workspaces. Just as Zdenek (2018, 2020) has long pushed for creating more accessible texts and technologies in TPC, Convo’s approach can inspire professionals in other organizations to support disability and social justice through innovative technologies and communication.
Implications for Accessible Professional Communication and Technologies
Convo’s innovative approach to accessible communication shows business and professional communication that accessibility can be a baseline from which individuals collaboratively design more inclusive spaces for diverse communication practices, preferences, and needs. The themes in Convo’s workplace—from its values and ethos to diversity and accessibility—translate into additional implications for BPC in workplace and academic settings.
To make BPC more accessible and inclusive, we teacher-scholars can engage in multilingual and translated conversations beyond sign language with colleagues and students in our courses. Scholars including Gonzales (2018b) have clearly shown the value of translation in the workplace and the importance of making our work accessible to individuals with different linguistic and embodied backgrounds, including through Spanish and other languages (Gonzales, 2018a). We should, like Gonzales (2018a), Wheeler (2018), and disability justice advocates (Berne et al., 2018; Hubrig & Cedillo, 2022; among others), commit to intersectional, interdependent accessibility—which recognizes the diverse embodiments of those in our communities, our reliance on each other, and the value of elevating the needs of those who are marginalized and oppressed—especially those who are multiply marginalized and oppressed.
Convo makes evident that just ensuring communication is not enough, and that we can work with technologies to authentically connect with each other across languages and abilities. To advocate for communication diversity, we can model accessibility as a baseline in which we discuss with all conversation participants the best ways to communicate clearly with each other. We can learn from different approaches and collaborate to customize multilingual and multimodal conversations. At the same time, we must—as disability justice does—understand “disability inclusion as being dependent on the inclusion and liberation of all marginalized identities” (Bennett & Hannah, 2022, p. 347). Inspired by the world’s largest Deaf-owned business, scholars and students can study and contribute to organizations in which individuals with disabilities and other marginalized identities, including race, have developed multiple approaches to making communication more effective and inclusive. These organizations illustrate the contrast between inclusive discourse and mainstream marketing practices that may utilize ableist and oppressive language. Inclusive organizations like Convo underscore the ecosystem of supportive organizations that amplify the needs of people with disabilities. We can join and support their work to make accessibility the heart of our organization of human beings.
Convo shows how important it is to privilege access needs and experiences, expertise, and knowledge. As Deaf and signing individuals, Convo’s members continually work on accessible technologies and communication while informing audiences about their services and resources for making workplaces more accessible, such as by advising people to ask Deaf colleagues their communication preferences. We can likewise, as Cordano (2022) pointed out, create a sense of belonging by being willing to learn and ask questions without making assumptions. We can create more considerate academic and professional spaces by supporting each other’s aspirations for more natural conversations, including across languages.
We can be inspired by Convo and frame accessibility as an investment in our professional and academic communities and our commitment to creating a more equitable world. We can work together to make our professional conversations more natural, especially in hybrid courses and workspaces with virtual and in-person individuals from different linguistic backgrounds. We can collaborate on strategies that support the interpretation and translation of meaning across languages and modalities; during video conferences, we could conduct hybrid conversations that capitalize on text chat features and coordinate with all conversation participants to enhance the accessibility of these features. In our courses and workspaces, we can connect with each other across languages and embodiments, and have meaningful reciprocal conversations that reflect who we are as humans in accessible business and professional communication.
Footnotes
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
