An Analytical Research on the Auditory Disabled Person’s Behavior Limitation and Solution at Sandy Beach

In Japan, many facilities have been modified for ease of use by socially disadvantaged people because of construction and barrier-free access laws. Currently, however, these modifications are largely limited to public facilities within Tokyo. This research examines the problems for people with hearing disabilities visiting bathing beaches, which attract the maximum number of visitors and which have numerous barriers for people with disabilities, and also proposes measures for resolving some of these problems. People with hearing disabilities do not evoke caution because there is no way to tell them apart based on external appearances. This therefore creates problems such as being unable to recognize warnings regarding dangers and cautions, and being slow to take action to avoid dangers. It has thus become clear that systems for communicating information suitable for people with hearing disabilities have yet to be established. As one of the authors has a hearing disability, methods for resolving these problems are proposed by addressing the problems from the viewpoint of a hearing disabled person.