Design For Dignity
Retail Guidelines

Guidance on premises

DeafSpace design

DeafSpace design is a set of guidelines developed to improve the accessibility of premises for people who are deaf. It is an initiative created by architect Hansel Bauman (hbhm architects) and Gallaudet University in 2005 but has continued to evolve.

“Our built environment, largely constructed by and for hearing individuals, presents a variety of surprising challenges to which deaf people have responded with a particular way of altering their surroundings to fit their unique ways-of-being. This approach is often referred to as DeafSpace.”

“When deaf people congregate the group customarily works together to rearrange furnishings into a ‘conversation circle’ to allow clear sightlines so everyone can participate in the visual conversation. Gatherings often begin with participants adjusting window shades, lighting and seating to optimize conditions for visual communication that minimize eyestrain. Deaf homeowners often cut new openings in walls, place mirrors and lights in strategic locations to extend their sensory awareness and maintain visual connection between family members.”

“These practical acts of making a DeafSpace are long-held cultural traditions that, while never-before formally recognized, are the basic elements of an architectural expression unique to deaf experiences.”^{*http://www.gallaudet.edu/campus-design/deafspace.html
Viewed September 2016}

Design focus

Some of the key guidance is:

• Other than hearing augmentation systems, there is no guidance in BCA.

Additional considerations for more dignified access

• Design that allows people maximum 360-degree visibility as they travel around.
• Sufficient space for two people using sign language to stand apart so that signing and facial expressions can be seen.
• Design of circulation spaces and paths of travel so that people can use sign language and continue to walk. An example would be rounded corners rather than blind corners.
• Avoid lighting conditions that interrupt visual communication or lead to eye fatigue or loss of concentration.
• Minimise hard surfaces which cause reverberation and can be distracting for people using assistive hearing devices.