Silenced by Design: A Statistical Analysis of the Impact of Poor Universal Design on Members of the Deaf Community

Abstract

Universal Design (UD) was developed to address the lack of accessibility in public spaces, improving economic, health, educational, and social benefits for all communities. Despite implementation of UD legislation, accessibility barriers persist. Approximately 30 million individuals aged 12 and older in the United States have bilateral hearing loss (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2024), yet many public spaces remain structured around auditory and oral communication rather than inclusive visual information. This gap is partly due to limited research on the perspectives of Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) individuals. This nationwide study sought to address these disparities by administering an anonymous, online Qualtrics survey consisting of 26 Likert-scale, multiple-choice, and optional free-response questions. Responses from 62 participants were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean, median, and mode) and Mann–Whitney U tests. Results indicated that the most statistically significant accessibility concerns were related to emergency plans and alerts, as well as staff cultural and linguistic responsiveness in all categories. The Mann–Whitney U test revealed significant differences, with Hard of Hearing participants reporting greater accessibility challenges than Deaf participants. The second Mann-Whitney U test found that DHH American Sign Language (ASL) users reported greater barriers than DHH English speakers. These findings highlight the need for more inclusive, visually oriented, and customizable accessibility solutions, as well as further research into subgroup-specific needs within the DHH community.