‘DeafSpace’ in the built school environment: A scoping review

Abstract

As a recognised disability, deafness affects speech, language, and cognitive development, influencing educational access and employability. While suitable physical environments for learners are well studied, limited research addresses architectural design for deaf learners. The concept of ‘DeafSpace’ extends universal design principles to reflect how deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals experience and communicate within space. When architectural designers overlook these spatial differences, it can hinder the developmental, social, and emotional needs of deaf children, leading to isolation and stigmatisation. In South Africa, deaf learners are accommodated in specialised schools; however, the effectiveness of these environments remains underexplored. This scoping review employs the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology to map existing literature addressing architectural provisions and spatial challenges within schools for the deaf. Eleven studies from six countries are identified, with 72.7% originating from North America, indicating a marked geographical and cultural bias. Three principal architectural paradigms are discerned, namely universal design, inclusive design, and DeafSpace, reflecting divergent epistemological positions on general accessibility versus specificity of deaf experience. Consensus emerges around key spatial parameters: visual connectivity (100%), lighting quality (81.8%), and acoustic management (72.7%). Nonetheless, significant implementation gaps persist, particularly concerning post-occupancy evaluation, economic analysis, and cultural contextualisation. The review further identifies an overreliance on technical rather than sociocultural approaches, with minimal participatory engagement of deaf users. This article highlights the absence of South African architectural research on deaf education and identifies urgent priorities for empirical validation, cross-cultural adaptation, and practical frameworks bridging theory and implementation.