Hearing
Overview | Understanding hearing | Hearing functions (4) | Env. context | Design guidance | Pop. stats. (2)
Population statistics
Prevalence data | Demand & exclusion
Hearing ability level (in increasing order)
| H1 | Cannot hear sounds at all |
| H2 | Cannot follow a TV programme with the volume turned up |
| H3 | Has difficulty hearing someone talking in a loud voice in a quiet room |
| H4 | Cannot hear a doorbell, alarm clock or telephone bell |
| H5 | Cannot use the telephone |
| H6 | Cannot follow a TV programme at a volume others find acceptable |
| H7 | Has difficulty hearing someone talking in a normal voice in a quiet room |
| H8 | Has great difficulty following a conversation against background noise |
| H9 | Full hearing ability |
Graph showing the distribution of hearing ability, where those with full ability (H9) are not shown.
Important note
These hearing ability levels and prevalence statistics are taken directly from the 1996/97 Disability Follow-up Survey (Grundy et al. 1999), which was commissioned by the government to plan welfare support. The GB adult population was 45.6 million people at the time of the survey. Please see the Framework section for more detail.
Overview | Understanding hearing | Hearing functions (4) | Env. context | Design guidance | Pop. stats. (2)