04 | Designing for Specific Circumstances

Designing for people with sensory disabilities

The design of homes can be modified to enable people, including older people, with sensory disabilities, such as sight loss or hearing impairment, to lead better, more independent lives.

The following guides provide an understanding of the impact sight and hearing loss have on people’s lives and include good practice guidance for architects, designers, housing professionals and others in the development of inclusive environments.

REFERENCES AND WEBSITES

• Bauman, H. (online). Deafspace. Gallaudet University. Available at https://www.gallaudet.edu/campus-design-and-planning/deafspace. (Accessed August 2018).

• DeafHear, (online). Deafhear provide a specialist assistive technology service for deaf and hard of hearing people. Available at: https://www.deafhear.ie/ (Accessed August 2018).

• Housing LIN, (2008) (online). Housing for People with Sight Loss, Factsheet No. 26. Available at: https://www.housinglin.org.uk/_assets/Resources/Housing/Support_materials/Factsheets/Factsheet26.pdf. (Accessed August 2018).
• The National Council for the Blind in Ireland, (online). Provides support and services nationwide to people experiencing sight loss. The National Council for the Blind in Ireland provides assistance for people with vision impairments. There is a section on the site dedicated to assistive technology.   Available at: https://www.ncbi.ie/.  (Accessed August 2018).
• The National Institute of Building Sciences, (May 2015). Design Guidelines for the Visual Environment. Available at: https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.nibs.org/resource/resmgr/LVDC/LVDP_Guidelines_052815.pdf. (Accessed May 2019).
• Thomas Pocklington Trust, (2010), (online). Design Guidance for People with Dementia and for People with Sight Loss. Available at: https://www.pocklington-trust.org.uk/project/conflict-inhome-design-for-people-with-sight-loss-and-dementia-research-finds/. (Accessed August 2018).
•  Thomas Pocklington Trust, (2014) (online). Housing for People with Site Loss – A practical guide to improving existing homes. Available at:https://www.pocklington-trust.org.uk/research-3/ (Accessed August 2018).