Barriers Faced by Individuals with Hearing Impairment in Accessing Information at Public places: A Qualitative Inquiry

Abstract

This study examined the barriers encountered by hearing-impaired individuals in obtaining information at public spaces of Lahore, Pakistan. Through qualitative interviews with five hearing-impaired participants, critical themes were identified, including inadequate safety instructions, communication barriers, compromised access to information, digital screen inaccessibility, lack of assistive devices, and difficulties with public address systems. Substantial challenges like design and placement of digital screens, difficulties in accessing verbally disseminated information, and ineffectual communication from customer service staff constituted impediments for hearing impaired individuals in accessing information at public places. Apart from it, the inadequate visual safety instructions, absence of assistive listening devices, captioning, and insufficient visual aids for public address systems were reported to be the key challenges encountered by hearing-impaired individuals. The research suggested the implementation of multi-channel information dissemination strategies, exhaustive training programs for customer service staff, enhanced digital screen accessibility, the availability of assistive technologies and plain visual safety instructions to address the challenges being faced by hearing impaired individuals at public places .The study also recommended that future research should expand the sample size, investigate technological advancements, advocate for policy frameworks, promote inclusive design, engage the hearing-impaired community, establish feedback mechanisms, and implement educational campaigns. The results were consistent with global research, indicating that these challenges are pervasive and ubiquitous. Creating more inclusive public environments to ensure that hearing-impaired individuals can independently and confidently navigate public spaces can be achieved by addressing the aforesaid challenges through improved communication mechanisms, enhanced digital screen designs and the provision of assistive technologies, thereby nurturing a more equitable society.