Comparing Sensory Experience Creation Process of Visitors with Hearing Impairment and General Visitors in Hong Kong Wetland Park

Abstract

Universal accessibility and barrier-free experience of public spaces such as parks are at the frontier of social sustainability and disability research. Such accessible and quality public spaces are characterized by enjoyable sensory stimuli and facilitating factors determining the process of sensory experience creation. Among visitors with sensory impairment such as different ranges of hearing loss, an understanding and a comparison of this process with that of general visitors is largely absent. This paper presents a comparative investigation of the sensory experience creation process between visitors with hearing impairment (HI) and that of general visitors in the Hong Kong Wetland Park. This study incorporates a series of field visits to the Wetland Park with a sample of 104 HI participants and their self-reported, questionnaire-based survey, in parallel with 279 general visitor surveys. Through an inter-group statistical comparison between HI sub-groups of severe hearing loss and mild hearing loss and general visitors who reported no hearing difficulty, the findings suggest three variables with significant difference, namely, experienced tactile sense, interactions with other visitors, and feelings of attachment to the Wetland Park. HI experience-based recommendations are categorized into park features and environment and programming and experience enhancement.