From the Living in Comfort and Joy blog
By Nicolette Toussaint Because of hearing loss, I’m fated to live a life filled with mondegreens. So like columnist Jon Carroll,
I have decided to enjoy them! I’m still tickled by the image that
popped into my head when my husband Mason told me that we had to “do
something about the minotaurs in the garden.” (I misheard him – Mason
wasn’t talking about mythical creatures like the one at right, but
about an overgrowth of “baby tears”!)
Even though a hearing loss can be profoundly isolating, I have lots of company with it. A petition filed with the federal Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, which writes access rules that become part of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), noted that:
Government
health statistics document that more Americans report a hearing loss
than any other disability… A recent assessment by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 13% of a representative
sample of children between the ages of 6 and 19 had a high-frequency
hearing loss and 7% a low-frequency hearing loss of 16 dB or more, a
level at which perceiving and understanding words would be affected.
ADA Doesn’t Solve All our Access Problems
The petition cited above, which was started by the parent of a
hearing-impaired child and then joined by a consortium of organizations
representing hearing-impaired people in 1998, noted that while the ADA
requires amplification systems in public buildings to help the
hearing-impaired, it doesn’t yet “contain provisions for the acoustical
design or performance of spaces within buildings and facilities.” The
petition has wound its way through the bureaucracy, and has led to the ANSI/ASA S12.60-2002, Acoustical Performance Criteria, Design Requirements and Guidelines for Schools.
As of March 2009, that standard is still not part of ADA; it’s a
voluntary guideline except where states or school boards have
specifically adopted it. The Access Board, however, does have some
helpful guidelines for quiet classrooms on the web.
 A
beautiful hotel on Cannery Row. Elegant, romantic - but miserable! We
left after one night and never went back because of the noise. This explains, at least in part, why even well-prepared interior
designers and architects can follow the letter of the law and still
design rooms that fall far short of meeting the communication needs of
a significant number of the people who use them. (Interior designers are educated in issues of access and safety, unlike interior decorators, whose practice doesn’t extend beyond choosing colors, furniture, draperies and wall coverings.)
As an internet search on the terms “beautiful but noisy” and “hotel”
will show, noisy environments impact lots of people, not just those
with hearing loss. Many people find noisy, echoing and uninsulated
interiors uncomfortable, so when designers of restaurants and hotels
fail to consider sound quality, business can suffer as a result.
In this post, I have included photos of a hotel and a restaurant I
visited but did not return to because I found the audio environment so
difficult. When it comes to offices, unaddressed noise can interfere
with productivity. Worst of all, exposure to excessive noise is the
most common cause of hearing loss – a fact that makes it everybody’s
business. Exposure to a noisy subway for just 15 minutes a day, for
example, can cause permanent damage to your hearing over time.
Announcing a Blog Series
Devoted to Design for Disability
I have been surprised by the amount of traffic that my “Oh Dad, Poor Dad, the Designer’s Hung You in the Closet and I’m Feeling So Sad”
post has generated. (At this writing, it’s the most popular post on
this blog, having received 194 views since its publication a month ago
on Feb. 2, 2009. ) Conversation around access issues has has prompted
me to start a blog series on “universal design” – which is also called
“accessible” or “healthy” design – an area that is my chosen specialty.
This first post deals with hearing problems, and later I will be
discussing interior design with respect to whole range of disability
and communication problems, including:
- wheel chair access
- reduced mobility, avoiding falls, difficulty with stairs, chairs and barriers
- asthma and allergies, how to design rooms to discourage dust mite allergies, mold and mildew
- decreased vision and how to deal with it
- social, security and communication needs of those who want to age in place
I encourage readers to comment on these posts; I would like this
series to be a discussion rather than a diatribe. (For those of you who
have been following my series on flooring, don’t worry. I will continue
both the flooring and disability series, alternating with things like
handmade furniture, to keep things lively.)
Designers and Disabilities:
A Bit of Soul-Searching Among Professionals
My “Oh Dad” post has provoked some interesting comments from other
interior designers, both here on “Living in Comfort and Joy” and in
discussion groups elsewhere on the net. Here’s what some of my peers
have had to say:
Sean:
“The ADA had just been passed when I began as an undergrad and was
considered a key component to my education. Students who ignore the ADA
do so at their professional peril – especially if they ever want to
practice design in a commercial setting. The ADA is not a suggestion;
it’s FEDERAL LAW and MUST be addressed… Understanding the ADA, I
believe, is one of the FUNDAMENTAL differences that distinguish
Interior Designers from Interior Decorators.”
 A
wonderful, historic and famous restaurant in San Francisco. The food is
great and so is the atmosphere. But I stopped going there because it's
so loud! Laura:
“I’m a commercial interior designer – no residential experience, even
my own home is a mess – but that last paragraph [about designer's
contrary attitudes toward accessible design] hits the nail on the head
in the commercial market as well.”
Design for Disabilities:
It Takes Will as Well as Skill
Sean’s and Laura’s comments are both on the mark. Designing for
comfort of those with disabilities demands both knowledge and effort.
While the ADA does demand compliance to certain standards of
access and communication in public buildings, it doesn’t have much to
say about residential interiors; they are more elective for both
designer and client. And as Laura notes, isn’t possible to legislate
attitude changes or command compassion.
As someone who was an activist after the passage of ADA, I’m happy
find my current blog playing a consciousness-raising role within my
chosen field now. When I’m anointed Queen of California, I will put
forth a “modest proposal” to the effect that all commercial interior
designers are required to go out to dinner wearing ear plugs before
accepting a restaurant design commission! I’m sure that the experience
of being unable to converse with a waiter (and consequently getting a
dinner one does not want!) will be more compelling than anything that
could ever be written into the pages of the California building code.
 Most
people know about seeing eye dogs. If you don't know about hearing
dogs, click on the pup. You'll be taken to a heart-warming story about
hearing service dogs. Deaf vs. Hard of Hearing -
Needs Differ
This post is dedicated to “def”
design – that is “good” design – for those who are hearing-impaired.
Despite my playing with this homonym, the needs of the hearing-impaired
are actually quite different from the needs of the deaf. The
biggest difference between the two categories of hearing loss is that
hearing-impaired people were able, at a young age, to learn oral
speech. That permanently defines the way they interact with
the world – and they usually struggle to remain “oral” for the rest of
their lives. (I strongly advocate a visit to the website of the League for the Hard of Hearing, which has a wealth of facts about hearing loss and wonderful information on how to help and communicate with a person who has hearing loss.)
The deaf, by contrast, learn to sign rather than speak, and they
have built a whole culture around American Sign Language (ASL). Indeed,
many of them feel that their culture is threatened by cochlear implants.
(Cochlear implants are not a panacea. My aunt Hannah, who has lost
nearly all of her hearing, had a cochlear implant that worked. However,
the implant broke down and the model she had implanted is no longer
manufactured. The newer model does not work for her at all, so she’s
back to being profoundly isolated and disabled!)
Aural Characteristics of Classrooms – A Civil Rights Issue!
While it’s very common to lose hearing as we age (as has been the
case with Hannah), my own hearing was damaged first in infancy and
again during childhood due to high fevers and ear infections. I have
about 80 decibels of loss in one ear and 30 in the other. I am not
actually “deaf”, and I didn’t get a hearing aid until well into my
adulthood. In a well-designed interior, I have 100% speech
comprehension. But that leaves me struggling to communicate in noisy
restaurants, hotels, airports and classrooms
(including the one at University of California Berkeley Extension where
I’m taking an evening class that focuses on “accessible design”)
decades after the passage of the ADA.
In some respects, I have been lucky. Had I been born deaf or lost
more hearing as an infant, I might have been unable acquire to verbal
language. I would have lived a very different life. Because the ability
to learn spoken language is age-dependent (and research with deaf
children has shown that failure to acquire effective language skills by
the age of six can’t ever be fully repaired) the creation of schools
that accommodate hearing is truly a civil rights issue. As the ADA petition mentioned earlier put it:
Effective
speech reception – understanding, not just hearing – is the primary
educational issue for people with auditory disabilities. A Cornell
University study published in the journal “Environment and Behavior”
indicates that excessive classroom noise impedes the acquisition of
language and cognitive skills by all children…
Where
classrooms and child care centers do not provide acceptable listening
conditions, even amplification will not achieve maximum effect in
improving speech communication. Poor acoustics can also compromise the
effectiveness of personal hearing aids and devices and limit the
usefulness of auxiliary aids and services. Good acoustics can enhance
the usefulness of such aids and improve listener reception of
unamplified speech, as may occur in group interchange. Because most
mild hearing losses in children are not diagnosed, children with such
losses (15-25 dB), including those with temporary hearing loss due to
otitis media, will not generally be using amplification devices…
The
listening abilities of children with hearing impairments, particularly
those with mild to moderate hearing loss, are even more affected by
poor acoustics than are those of children whose hearing falls within
normal ranges. A 1997 study of children with minimal sensorineural
hearing loss showed lower scores for basic skills and communications
testing and a high rate – 37% – of retention in grade. In addition,
these students functioned below normally-hearing children in
evaluations of behavior, energy, stress, social support, and
self-esteem…
A Few Sound Pointers for “Def” Design
Here are ten pointers that anyone designing a communication-friendly interior should consider:
- Echoes interfere with the ability to understand speech; designers need to be aware of standards for reverberation time.
- Background noise that comes from heating and air conditioning can make it hard to understand speech.
- High ceilings often amplify echos; dropped acoustic ceilings can help reduce noise.
- Hard surfaces of all kinds – hard flooring,
furniture, windows, walls – cause reverberation that interferes with
communication. Every room design should include some sound-absorbent
materials.
- Lighting can help or hinder the communication of a
person who is speech reading (lip reading). The light should be
positioned to fall on the face of the speaker, but should not fall into
the eyes of the hearing-impaired person. If you live with a
hearing-impaired person, you should consider this when positioning
lights and conversational seating.
 Davies
Symphony Hall in San Francisco underwent a major acoustic tune-up in
1992. The ceiling has plexiglass panels hanging above the orchestra pit
and hangings that look like flags along the side of the hall to direct
sound and abate unwanted echoes.
- Sight lines are also important to the hearing-impaired. In
public buildings, hearing-impaired people may be using broadcast
amplifiers that will blocked when sight lines are blocked. (For
example, when someone stands or raises their hands in front of another
person using an amplifying device, the hearing-impaired person will get
a head full of static.) Similarly, the deaf need good sight lines and
adequate face lighting to be able to read an ASL interpreter.
- Room adjacency is always important in good design.
No designer should abut bedrooms without an intermediary closet or
soundproofing because of the “cheap motel effect.” But noise from
adjacent room can be especially frustrating for those who suffer
hearing loss. Placing a poorly sound-proofed air conditioner or washing
machine on a wall adjacent to a living room, for example, could
seriously impact the resident’s ability to talk to other family members.
- Beware of noisy heating, air conditioning and plumbing. If
you can’t place machine rooms away from conversational spaces, make
sure that the machinery is surrounded by sound-absorbent material.
- Improve windows. Windows are often the weakest
part of the outer envelope of a building, and they can transmit street,
traffic or aircraft noise. Double-paned and well-insulated windows will
both reduce noise and improve energy performance.
- Rule of thumb for hearing safety: If you have to
shout to be heard three feet away, then the noise is too loud and is
damaging your hearing. (Sound systems with headphones can produce sound
levels as loud as 105 – 110 decibels. Children who listen to this much
noise for several hours a day face an inevitable hearing loss.)
While these pointers apply to all kinds of interiors, some places
and functions require special consideration. A doctor’s office requires
special wall insulation to protect the privacy of patients’
conversations during medical consultations. Classrooms need special
attention to prevent reverberation and background noise. And the acoustic design of a symphony hall is specialized indeed! But even ordinary workplaces can benefit from noise reduction, and the Office Design blog by Space has great tips for reducing noise in offices. (A great directory of resource links for the hearing impaired can be found here.)
Easy, Quick Ways to Help
Those with Hearing Impairments
 A
door harp made by Pete Isacowitz, who runs Woodsong, in Upper Galilea,
Israel. I put one of these on the inside of my front door so I wouldn't
be startled by people coming in. Click the harp to visit Woodsong's
website. The pointers listed above are things that you would normally
consider in the process of designing or redesigning an interior. What
if you’re struggling with hearing issues and can’t undertake a design
project? There are quick, simple changes you can make in the
environment to improve communication and enhance the comfort and joy of
the people who live in it. For example:
- Pay attention to the position of furniture. Hearing-impaired people need to be able to see what’s coming. (For example, the desk in my office is arranged so that I can see anyone
who comes in. That way, I’m not startled.) Also, consider points 5 and
6 above, concerning light and sight lines, when arranging your rooms.
- Position mirrors to negate surprises. If the room
layout makes it necessary for one’s back to be toward the door, or if
it creates blind intersections, a thoughtfully placed mirror can help
prevent panicky startle reflexes.
- Insulate windows and provide light-controlling blinds. (If you’re wondering why, read point 5 above.)
- Install an intercom with remote door locks and releases. If you can’t hear who’s on the other side, you may be very apprehensive about answering the door, but technology can help.
- Install alternative security alert measures. Hearing-impaired
people will find it easier to relax at home if they know they will get
visual or tactile alerts from smoke detectors, door bells, phones and
burglar alarms. (When I was home alone before I married, I used to pile
all the kitchen pots and pans in front of the door to ensure that I
would hear an intruder. Without them, I was simply too nervous to
sleep.)
A wide range of devices are available to assist hard-of-hearing
people. They range from flashing door “bells” to vibrating alarm clocks
to ADA hotel kits and smoke alarms that set off strobe lights. Here are
a couple good places to find them.
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