Sensing the city for deaf and hearing children and caregivers.

How you use the guide?

For us, the guide was a great methodology for finding particular challenges in the city that we have previously overlooked. In this case, deaf children’s and their caregivers’ experience. Using various tools, we were able  to link advocacy and urban design in order to promote and raise awareness about the deafness in the city, the limited communication for deaf children that exists in the public space and the opportunity to encourage and nurture day-to-day caregiving and learning through the experience of public spaces, life and play.

What you have learned?

This Project responds to the lack of empirical knowledge in urban design about the difficulties and opportunities that deaf children and their caregivers have. We have redesigned a street corridor connecting the School 197 and square, and prototyped public furniture that  promotes experiencing space and communicating through various senses. We did this together with the Montevideo Municipality, deaf children and their families, school teachers, neighbours (etc). 

Impact

The project has had a great impact in the city, exploring with local authorities and planners how to recognise the value of inclusive city, especially for children who are in the most important period of their cognitive, physical, emotional and social development.