Designing for All : Embracing Aural Diversity in Our Spaces”

How many of you find restaurants overwhelming or struggle to hear in crowded spaces? How many times have sound issues or barriers prevented you from enjoying a social or environmental situation?

The Aural Diversity Toolkit is an incredible resource created by a diverse group of contributors to help designers create environments that are accessible to everyone. This was created by Aural Diversity and ARUP with a range of community coproductions.

Aural diversity encompasses a wide range of experiences with sound, including heightened sensitivity, tinnitus (often linked to hypermobility), Meniere’s disease, Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) (often associated with autism, as I personally experience alongside misophonia), hearing deterioration, speech and language differences, varying languages, mental health conditions like anxiety or depression, and age-related hearing changes, to name a few.

'What is Aural Diversity? The term ‘aural diversity’ refers to the wide range of different hearing experiences in the human population2. Aural diversity impacts everyone to some degree, due to minor differences in physiology like the shape of our ears, temporary changes in hearing due to infections, or the change in our hearing range as we get older. The context, situation and listening environment will all have an impact on a person’s hearing experience'. ARUP Aural Diversity

I’m passionate about advocating for these considerations in design and hope that more designers prioritise inclusivity—balancing aesthetic appeal with environments that cater to all.

Let’s work together to create spaces where everyone can feel comfortable and included which in turn will benefit all communities and enhance social cohesion. Download the full toolkit here:

aural-diversity-toolkit.pdf

Download PDF • 2.85MB

Jane Green MBE