"Deaf Space" -- Architecture Designed for the Hearing Impaired


(Video Link)

Gallaudet University in the Washington, D.C. is a school for the deaf. It's been around for a century and a half, so many of the old buildings look like what you might expect on a college campus. But that's changing. Architects are redesigning the campus to optimize the architecture for the sensory experiences of deaf people. This approach to design is called "DeafSpace."

Some are fairly straightforward, such as classrooms with desks arranged in a U-shape so that everyone can see each other at the same time. Others are less intuitive to those of us who can hear. For example, if two deaf people wish to walk and talk, they need an optimal distance between each other so that they can see each other's signs. This means building wider hallways. It also means building ramps instead of stairs so that users can look at each other instead of constantly watching their footing.

You can learn more about DeafSpace from Derrick Behm of Gallaudet University in this video by Vox.

-via Khool


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I love that this topic was highlighted on Neatorama, but the use of the term "hearing impaired" in the title is not exactly kosher. Please use the terms Deaf and Hard of Hearing instead! :)
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