Angus McLeod.
The MFA DE&I Council would like to see an industry where everyone can thrive, feel heard, supported, and safe to do their best work. Let’s meet the Changers who are sharing their own lived experiences to inspire us all to change for the better.
I lost my hearing unexpectedly in 2022. One day I was navigating the world without thinking twice about communication. The next, I was learning to live with profound hearing loss and eventually bilateral cochlear implants. I can hear quite well now and feel incredibly fortunate to do so. Hearing is unique in that technology can restore a remarkable degree of what was lost.
Recently, I travelled to South Korea with the Dylan Alcott Foundation and GN Hearing to trial emerging hearing technology.
One of the most exciting experiences was using Auracast, a new Bluetooth broadcasting technology that allows audio to stream directly to compatible hearing devices. Instead of relying solely on the sound around me, I could connect directly to the audio source. In places like airports, cinemas, conferences and live events, that has the potential to make communication clearer, easier and more accessible.
Thomas Olsgaard, Principal GN Hearing Engineer, put it simply: “If you go on a guided tour and there’s a noisy kid, wouldn't you prefer to hear the speaker clearly?” It struck me because the benefit isn’t limited to people with hearing loss. Given the choice, most of us would rather hear the speaker than the noisy kid.
Too often, accessibility is framed as something organisations provide for a small group of people. But history suggests something different. Many of the innovations we now consider standard began by solving a problem for someone on the margins before improving the experience for everyone else.
Captions are a perfect example. Originally developed to allow Deaf and hard of hearing audiences to participate, they’re now used by commuters watching videos on silent, students taking notes, parents trying not to wake a sleeping child and anyone consuming content in a noisy environment. What began as an accessibility feature became a better experience for everyone.
I also find it fascinating that younger generations are far more likely to use captions than older generations, despite hearing loss becoming more common as we age. Perhaps it isn’t hearing that’s driving behaviour. Perhaps it’s how quickly technology changes our expectations of communication.
The same is true of automatic doors, curb ramps and voice-to-text. Remove friction and people adopt the solution.
That’s why I think we need to rethink how we talk about accessibility. In reality, the best examples of accessible design improve the experience for everyone.
Working in media, I’m reminded every day that reducing barriers makes communication more effective. Whether it’s choosing a quiet café for a meeting, turning on live captions for an all-staff presentation or building a media strategy that considers people with disability from the outset, the principle is the same: the easier something is to access, understand and participate in, the more people it reaches.
Accessibility isn’t a separate design consideration. It’s one of the clearest indicators of good design.
Perhaps the real promise of accessibility isn’t that we talk about it more.
It’s that one day we stop noticing it altogether because inclusive design has simply become good design.
Angus McLeod is Junior Strategist at Atomic 212°
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.