A fire alarm

This is a visual fire alarm. Have you ever considered how an evacuation goes if you can’t hear? No?

When a fire alarm goes off, you immediately know that there is a fire, but imagine the following scenario if you are unable to hear an alarm. You are busy typing an email in your office. The fire alarm goes off, but you are unable to perceive this. You carry on working. Later that day, you find a notice informing you of a fire practice today. You ask your colleagues if there really was a fire drill today. They sign that there was. This is when you realize that your office only has fire alarms that generate sound.

A standard smoke alarm is not accessible for a deaf person. Fortunately, visual fire alarms, like this one, exist. This type of alarm uses flashing lights to warn people who are unable to hear. The advantage of a visual fire alarm is that it also works for hearing people. This beautifully illustrates the term ‘curb-effect’ which describes a disability-friendly solution that has positive effects for a larger group.