Literature review on perception and evaluation criteria of soundscapes among sighted and visually impaired individuals

The sound and its qualities are important of the quality of built environments. The concept of soundscape, rooted in user's subjective perception of context, plays a crucial role in peoples' overall assessment of their surroundings. This study attempts to discern the similarities and differences in soundscape perception and evaluation between sighted and visually impaired users through a literature review. The results suggest that visually impaired people perceive soundscapes as having the additional role of helping to understand spatial boundaries and providing information about the external environment. The soundscape assessment protocols were adapted both to take account of this feedback and to compensate for their inaccessibility (e.g., questionnaire format and potential hazards associated with soundscapes). The review output also suggested that visually impaired people orient their impressions more towards their expectations. Particularly, the impact of event-based sounds, characterized by spatial and semantic features, extends to influencing their experiences and behaviors within a given space. Despite distinctions, there exist commonalities in their perception of certain acoustic features between visually impaired and sighted individuals, such as sounds from nature having a positive effect on both groups and mechanic sound noted as negative. This review ends by listing research gaps and methodological opportunities.