From Daily Song to Daily Self: Supporting Emotional Growth of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Individuals through Generative AI Songwriting

Abstract

The rapid advancement of generative AI (GenAI) is expanding access to songwriting, offering a new medium of self-expression for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) individuals. However, emerging technologies that support DHH individuals in expressing themselves through music have largely been evaluated in single-session settings and often fall short in helping users unfamiliar with songwriting convey personal narratives or sustain engagement over time. This paper explores songwriting as an extended, music-based journaling practice that supports sustained emotional reflection over multiple sessions. We introduce SoulNote, a GenAI system enabling DHH to engage in iterative songwriting. Grounded in user-centered design, including a design workshop, a preliminary study, and a multi-session diary study, our findings show that ongoing songwriting with SoulNote facilitated emotional growth across three dimensions: self-insight, emotion regulation, and everyday attitudes toward emotions and self-care. Overall, this work demonstrates how GenAI can support marginalized communities by transforming creative expression into a daily practice of self-discovery and reflection. © 2026 Copyright held by the owner/author(s).