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# Evolution of a hard-of-hearing person with technology

Workplace accessibility shouldn't be an embarrassing special request. Field CTO Florian shares how everyday tech fundamentally lowered barriers during his 15-year journey with hearing loss.

- **Speakers:** [Florian Margaine](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/@florian-margaine)
- **Event:** World Congress 2026 Europe - Virtual Stage
- **Published:** July 2, 2026
- **Duration:** 38:56
- **URL:** https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/2021-evolution-of-a-hard-of-hearing-person-with-technology

## Summary

As a hard-of-hearing Field CTO, Florian shares a deeply personal 15-year journey through the evolution of workplace accessibility. What once meant struggling through exhausting, noisy meetings has transformed into seamless collaboration, driven not by medical breakthroughs, but by technological advancements. Through his lived experience, the narrative illustrates how modern software engineering and remote work environments have fundamentally lowered barriers for the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities.

The turning point emerged through a combination of foundational and modern technologies. Foundational tools like hearing aids and ubiquitous subtitles paved the way, while the shift to text-based communication via platforms like Slack fundamentally leveled the playing field by eliminating accents and background noise. The introduction of Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids, live captions in video conferencing tools like Google Meet and Teams, and emerging technology like directional-mic smart glasses have further transformed real-time interaction, allowing seamless integration into live discussions without constant struggle.

The core takeaway for organizations is to choose "inclusion by default" rather than treating accessibility as an embarrassing special request. With 15% of the population experiencing some form of hearing loss, features like live captions, AI-driven meeting summaries, and defaulting to written communication actually benefit the entire workforce by improving async collaboration and knowledge discoverability. By automatically leaving meeting captions on and piping live speaker audio into conference transcripts, companies can empower all employees to participate fully and equitably.

**Keywords:** workplace accessibility, hard-of-hearing technology, live captioning integration, remote work communication, inclusive by default, text-first collaboration, bluetooth hearing aids, directional-mic smart glasses, asynchronous communication, video conferencing accessibility, ai meeting summaries, disability inclusion in tech, deaf community workplace tools, universal design software

## Chapters

1. **Navigating a collaborative career with profound hearing loss** (00:02) — How a field CTO bridges communication gaps between teams despite being hard of hearing.
1. **Understanding the exhaustion of high-frequency hearing loss** (02:18) — Missing high-frequency sounds makes meetings, entertainment, and noisy environments incredibly exhausting to navigate.
1. **The foundational but limited role of hearing aids** (05:43) — While hearing aids provide a necessary baseline for environmental awareness, they fall short in noisy professional settings.
1. **How default video subtitles changed media accessibility** (11:24) — The shift toward enabling subtitles by default on streaming and social platforms restores access to cultural references.
1. **Advantages of text communication in remote work cultures** (14:04) — Platforms like Slack remove audio barriers while providing searchable, asynchronous documentation for globally distributed teams.
1. **Improving video calls with direct bluetooth audio streaming** (18:17) — Connecting digital audio directly from devices to hearing aids drastically improves comprehension during remote meetings.
1. **Utilizing live captions for context in video meetings** (20:30) — Real-time transcription in tools like Google Meet helps the brain anticipate and reconstruct spoken words.
1. **Integrating smart glasses for real-world live captioning** (23:30) — Wearable displays with directional microphones bring the benefits of live captions to in-person conferences and events.
1. **Removing the stigma by enabling accessibility features by default** (27:28) — Forcing users to request accommodations creates unnecessary friction for the large percentage of the workforce with hearing loss.
1. **Implementing practical steps for inclusive communication in teams** (33:47) — Defaulting to written decisions, automatically enabling video captions, and providing live event transcriptions ensures everyone stays informed.

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- [Mainstreaming wearable AI and early adoption by disabled users](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1377-rethinking-intelligence-ai-accessibility-and-the-future-of-inclusive-work-artur-ortega) (from "Rethinking Intelligence: AI, Accessibility, and the Future of Inclusive Work - Artur Ortega")
- [Accessibility and practical use cases for voice interaction](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1142-is-the-web-ready-for-voice-user-interfaces) (from "Is the web ready for voice user interfaces?")
- [Accessibility as the historical driver of technological innovation](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1377-rethinking-intelligence-ai-accessibility-and-the-future-of-inclusive-work-artur-ortega) (from "Rethinking Intelligence: AI, Accessibility, and the Future of Inclusive Work - Artur Ortega")
- [Introducing the accessibility panel and their industry backgrounds](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1350-ai-and-accessibility-the-good-and-the-bad-fireside-chat) (from "AI and Accessibility: The Good and the Bad - Fireside Chat")
- [Adapting to future accessibility and inclusivity standards using AI](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1016-insight-into-ai-driven-design) (from "Insight into AI-Driven Design")
- [Exploring workforce impacts regarding diversity and evolving career paths](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/869-inside-the-ai-revolution-how-microsoft-is-empowering-the-world-to-achieve-more) (from "Inside the AI Revolution: How Microsoft is Empowering the World to Achieve More")

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