2. Potential barriers and user requirements

Contents: Environmental barriers, communication at events and in conversations, perception of signals and key information, digital barriers and media use, conclusion.

People with hearing impairments perceive acoustic information to varying degrees, or not at all. In this context, the type of hearing impairment, environmental conditions and the forms of support provided can all have a significant impact on comprehension and participation. According to the social model, disability arises not from the impairment itself, but from environmental factors that hinder or prevent communication and access to information.

The following environmental conditions can present barriers for people with hearing impairments:

• People who speak quietly or in large rooms without technical support (e.g. without a microphone).
• Noisy environments or distracting background noise that masks speech.
• A lack of visual or tactile alternatives to auditory signals (e.g. alarm sounds, ringing).
• A lack of subtitles or transcripts for audio content such as videos, podcasts or presentations.
• Media players that do not support subtitles or do not allow individual adjustments to text size, colours or contrast.
• A lack of sign language interpretation or the unavailability of sign language videos.
• Websites or applications that rely exclusively on spoken language or audio signals for operation.

As many people with hearing impairments have limited access to auditory information, it is important to provide alternative means of communication – for example, visual (text, sign language, symbols) or tactile (vibrations).

Communication in lectures and discussions

In courses, event or lecture settings, barriers often arise when speakers do not speak loudly or clearly enough, or do not use a microphone. Physical distance can also make it difficult to read lips – particularly when lighting conditions are poor or when people are speaking with their mouths obscured.

Support measures such as sign language interpreting, live subtitling or written summaries displayed on a screen or device facilitate access to information in such situations.

Technical systems such as FM systems or induction loops can also help by transmitting the spoken word directly to hearing aids or cochlear implants and minimising distracting background noise.

Perception of signals and important information

Acoustic signals such as doorbells, alarms or warning messages should not be conveyed exclusively through sound. A multi-sensory design (visual, acoustic, haptic) is crucial here.

Examples of accessible alternatives include flashing light signals, colour changes or vibration signals, which draw attention to important events either in addition to or instead of sounds.

Digital accessibility and media use

High-quality subtitles, transcripts and clear audio quality play a central role in access to digital media. Subtitles should always be available and customisable – for example, in terms of text size, colour, position or background contrast.

An accessible media player should allow users to:

• switch subtitles on and off;
• customise text size and colour;
• adjust the volume independently of the system volume;
• pause or replay audio and video.

High-quality audio with clear speech reproduction and no distracting background noise further improves intelligibility.

For many deaf or hard-of-hearing people, sign language videos are an important alternative to sound and text, particularly when written language is not their primary language. It should be borne in mind that sign languages – much like spoken languages – vary from region to region.

Conclusion

An inclusive communication environment takes into account that people take in information through different sensory channels. Through visual, tactile and technical alternatives, barriers in everyday life, in the digital space and in learning or work contexts can be significantly reduced.

Accessibility in the area of ‘hearing’ therefore means not only adjusting the volume, but above all: multi-channel, multimodal information delivery, technical accessibility and respectful communication on an equal footing.