6. Sound

Sound is probably one of the most common representation methods for information. Sound can be used in many different ways:

Spoken Voice

• face-to-face conversation
• telephone conversation
• announcements in shops/airports
• sat nav instructions
• podcasts

In order to be able to access information conveyed by the methods mentioned above, you would need to be able to speak the language and not have any hearing impairment.

However you may still be unable to access the information for other reasons for example:

• strong accents
• a lot of background noise
• muffled speaker systems
• poor reception e.g. mobile calls
• illness such as a cold which affects your hearing

Alarms and alerts

Sounds can be used to convey information that something is wrong or something needs your urgent attention. Think about:

• fire alarms
• burglar alarms
• pressing an incorrect button on a computer screen
• wake-up alarms
• cooking timers

Sounds can also be used as a positive reinforcement, congratulations or to tell you that something is happening:

• giving the right answer to an online quiz - congratulatory sound
• applause or cheering
• beep from a cashpoint to confirm you have pressed a button