Create a Communication-Friendly Home

By Anne McIntosh, Ph.D.

After my husband and I married, we decided we wanted to custom-build a home that we’d use to start and raise our family. I have a hearing loss, and he does not. We brainstormed together on how to make the home communication-friendly—for all of us.

Outside the House

The house has a long driveway, so we use a gate across the driveway with a camera. The gate ensures that no vehicle can get too close to the house without me being aware.

We have the sidewalk come to the front door (in front of windows in the living area, kitchen, and study) so that I can notice people coming up the walkway as they make their way to my front door. Nowadays a camera doorbell is common, such as the Ring or Nest, which can also be monitored when not at home.

We have a glass storm door in addition to the exterior front door. On beautiful days, I can open the exterior door and the glass storm door lets in warm sunshine, while allowing me to see more of what is happening outside.

Inside the House

Glass French doors leading to the office or dining area allow for a clear line of vision. Credit: @seffen99/Unsplash

Inside the house, rather than having solid doors we use glass French doors. We close them if we need to limit the amount of auditory sound/noise traveling while keeping open visual access.

I can easily see when someone is at the glass French door leading to the office or dining area. When the babies were small, we had the same doors on the nursery so I could peek in and see if the babies were sleeping, without worrying about opening the doors and waking them up (handy for typical hearing parents too!).

In the kitchen, we built a U-shape work island that has the dishwasher, sink, and cooktop/oven. This setup enables me to be able to see and engage with anyone in the kitchen or dining room. My back is not to the family. I am always able to face my family or guests while cooking or loading the dishwasher.

At the cooktop, I use clear lids for my pots and pans. I am not able to hear when water is boiling or if all the liquid has cooked off so being able to see what is happening in the pot is great—I don’t have to worry about pots boiling over or burning the food.

For safety reasons, we installed strobe fire/smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. 

Bedrooms and Home Office

In the master bathroom, we chose clear glass shower inserts and large mirrors so that if hearing aids or cochlear implants are removed, we can still see and communicate.

In my office, I positioned my desktop computer to where I can see the driveway, front door, and office door either directly or through my peripheral vision.  

Also, I have FaceTime, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Skype, and InnoCaption set up on my desktop computer so I can use the volume on the desktop speakers and use captioning features on my desktop. 

Creating a communication-friendly home does not cost any more money than a home that was not designed to be deaf-friendly. If you are thinking about moving or renovating, consider a few communication-friendly ideas and build those into your design. Years later, I am able to see that a good layout that focuses on clear communication has enabled us to have a stress-free home environment. 

Anne McIntosh, Ph.D., received a doctorate in communication sciences and disorders from the University of Texas at Austin. She is president and CEO of Safe ‘N’ Clear Inc. in North Carolina, which provides a Food and Drug Administration–approved surgical face mask with a clear window and which she founded in 2012.

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