Aural Diversity in Society

Aural Diversity in Society: Improving Auditory Access for Neurodivergent Musicians and Audience Members of Diverse Hearing Experience Types (DHET) in Live Music Environments with a UK Access-Driven Music Organisation. Background and Aims

Aural diversity is an identified trait in neurodivergent (ND) conditions (Gonçalves & Monteiro, 2023; He et al., 2023; Panagiotidi et al., 2017); this encompasses Autism Spectrum Conditions, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dyspraxia, and Tourette's (Aherne, 2023). Awareness has increased of the discomfort experienced by ND individuals with diverse hearing experience types (DHET; Aherne, 2023; van den Boogert et al., 2022; Wada et al., 2023).

Auditory processing challenges can cause overwhelming emotions in ND individuals due to environments beyond their control (Higgins et al., 2021); emotions can occur from common environmental sounds, societal events, and crowded environments (Bregman, 1990).

Literature has explored music listening experiences within ND individuals' own spaces (Korosec et al., 2022) and as a coping strategy to navigating aspects of society (Venter et al., 2022). Despite this, two limitations remain: (1) lack of literature on ND musicians and audience members (MaAM) in live musical environments, and (2) lack of awareness of listening methods that can assist in reducing discomfort for ND individuals in live music settings.

Awareness, exploration, and evaluation of listening methods could settle this issue; implementation of these could benefit the community in live music environments (Garvey, 2023). Although reference to safe listening in venues has been established (WHO, 2022), methods for ND MaAM with DHET in live environments remains unexplored in research. By researching both MaAM, this may provide similarities and differences between the two types and support sensitivity management in ND individuals within the industry.

The aim of this PhD is to explore auditory processing challenges of ND MaAM with DHET and evaluate listening methods for use in live music environments. This consists of nine research questions that are explored through three studies: (1) an exploration of ND MaAM auditory processing experiences in public spaces and live music environments, (2) establish collaborative discussions with ND MaAM with DHET on beneficial listening methods and coping strategies, and (3) implementation of preferred listening methods in a live concert environment.