Breaking the Silence
Breaking the Silence: The Deaf Experience in Archiecture is a Deaf-led research project, supported by an award to Chris Laing by the RIBA Research Fund. The project brings forward stories that have too often remained unheard within the architectural profession, where Deaf people's experiences are frequently overlooked, undocumented and excluded from mainstream conversations.
We collaborated and engaged closely with the Deaf community, interviewing and surveying Deat architects, students, creative practitioners and community members. Nine Deaf participants were selected to share their lived experiences in depth, and we captured these in a documentary film that is intended to create a lasting public record of Deaf perspectives in architecture.
The study reveals how inadequate access provision, limited communication support, barriers to work placements, professional isolation and lack of representation in leadership continue to restrict participation and progression. Many Deaf people are forced to abandon their architectural ambitions due to systemic barriers rather than a lack of ability or motivation.
By documenting these lived experiences and professional challenges, the project provides strong evidence to support advocacy, policy development, institutional reform and improved access standards across all aspects of architecture.
Breaking the Silence also contributes to national conversations on equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the built environment. It reflects Deaf Architecture Front's wider mission to centre Deaf voices, challenge ableist structures and promote a future in which Deaf people can fully participate in shaping inclusive, innovative and socially just environments.