Sound Awareness

The ability to perceive, identify, and respond to sounds in one's environment, and the assistive technologies designed to support this ability for Deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Sound awareness encompasses both safety-critical sounds (fire alarms, sirens, approaching vehicles) and everyday environmental sounds (doorbells, appliance alerts, water running). Assistive sound awareness technologies range from simple visual alerting systems (flashing lights for doorbells) to AI-powered sound recognition systems that classify and notify users about specific sounds through visual, haptic, or vibrational feedback on mobile devices and wearables.