Environmental Sound

Any auditory information in a person's surroundings that is not speech, including sounds from appliances, alarms, animals, doorbells, traffic, weather, and other environmental sources. For deaf and hard of hearing people, awareness of environmental sounds is a significant accessibility challenge, as these sounds often convey important safety information (fire alarms, approaching vehicles), social cues (someone knocking), or contextual awareness (a phone ringing, a machine malfunctioning). Assistive technologies addressing environmental sound awareness include visual or vibrotactile alert systems, sound classification apps, and remote human transcription services.