The Crucial Role of Sensory Accessibility in Environmental Design

March 5, 2025

Sensory accessibility is a crucial facet which we advocate to be embedded into every element of our built environment. It ensures that all individuals, regardless of their condition, can fully participate in their environment, whether that’s at school, college, the workplace, or in leisure settings. Yet within our particular line of work as Access Consultants (extending to our personal experience as a team comprising largely of disabled people), we find that many building and site owners instinctual conception of accessibility pertains only to wheelchair provision.

Millions of people across the world have disabilities, and the reality is that an overwhelming majority of them have sensory sensitivities or impairments, including hearing loss, visual impairments, or heightened sensitivities to touch, sound, or light.

Building owners have the power to control these elements and make their places more inclusive, but the majority are unsure how to achieve this due to a lack of understanding, or in many cases, a basic awareness.

The extent to which features of the built environment cause discomfort to individuals varies depending on their specific situation, as well as the context of the environment, but the misalignment of these factors with an individual’s sensory capabilities (and the lack of provisions provided for said individuals) has lead to a historic and institutional disadvantage for neurodivergent and sensory-impaired disabled people, forcing individuals to adapt to a world which was not built with them in mind. Despite this fact, as a result of advocacy, government programs, cultural progression, and pure perseverance, increased numbers of disabled people are entering the workforce, accessing high education, and are traveling independently.

As consultants, we feel it is our duty to ensure clients embed sensory accessibility in building design from the outset, setting a standard which ensures all disabled people can live rich and fulfilling lives. So when our auditors speak to clients about making their environments, products, and services accessible – we offer specific guidance based on global standards and the latest in best practices.

By doing this, businesses, municipalities, and organizations we work with are reducing the barriers to communication, learning, and social interaction which has long affected neurodivergent and sensory-impaired individuals. Whether that involves advocating for the installation of induction loops, quiet rooms, offering communication tips, or educating on the importance of accessible formats; the goal of our collaborations are to ensure accessibility and inclusion, regardless of their sensory needs.

With twenty years of secondhand experience, and in the case of some team members, direct personal experience, our team advocates for various strategies to help accommodate sensory impaired people across built, social, and digital environments.

For autistic/ADHD/ dyslexic people, and people with a variety of other neurodevelopmental differences, many of the recommendations we make to clients benefit absolutely everybody. For instance, predictable and logical site layouts help ensure clear, easily navigable environments. Combining this with well-crafted wayfinding which utilizes simple and clear signage boosts this. Breaking down environments further, such as through color coding, is helpful to both neurodiverse individuals and visually impaired individuals. Quiet rooms, which are useful for allowing neurodiverse people time away from excessive sensory stimuli, are even beneficial to non-disabled people.

For people with visual impairments, we strongly advocate for the inclusion of tactile elements in site design (including for doors, elevators, restrooms, and where appropriate and within budget, on handrails). As a standard, we recommend offering bright, even lighting to minimize glare and shadows that may hinder low vision users’ ability to navigate spaces, but also advocate giving individuals the opportunity to customize lighting to suit their specific needs, whether in the form of blind controls, or adaptable lighting, which is a huge benefit to many neurodivergent individuals, as well. Moreover, we advise providing written media in Braille and Large Print or in audio described audio formats, allowing clients to cater to individuals with varying visual disabilities.

For hearing impaired individuals, we frequently advise providing access to assistive devices such as induction loops in areas where communication is likely to take place such as reception areas, classrooms, and meeting rooms. In spaces like conference rooms, classrooms, or theaters, provide BSL interpretation of presentations and performances as well as captioning for any audio-visual displays.

Indeed, the ways to ensure sensory accessibility are as diverse as the range of sensory disabilities themselves. Moreover, standards that built environments are expected to meet are continuously evolving, with each change aimed at improving the quality of life for individuals with disabilities, including (but not limited to) Dubai Universal Design Code, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and the Universally Accessible Building Environment (UABE). These all enforce accessibility within different contexts, but what they all have in common is a mandate enforcing accessibility standards in public and private spaces.

The establishment of these standards highlights the fact that people with sensory disabilities have historically been marginalized in the design of built environments. Therefore, if you haven’t yet scheduled an accessibility audit for your premises, we highly recommend that you do so! To book an accessibility audit with us, email the team at info@directaccess.group.

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