as an autistic person, can i just say that Charles Babbage aka “father of the computer” was totally one of us and also his vendetta against street music & organ grinders was VALID
ey yo gaud what do u have against street music
i have to wear earplugs and/or prescription sedatives to go outside
Tags (bc I don’t actually have anything against street music as long as it’s not like, unreasonably intrusive):
#the bigger issue though is overhead music in commercial buildings. restaurants, shops, grocery stores, etc I can’t go to any of those places without earplug and also sometimes gunshot protection earmuffs. it’s an issue #restaurants will usually turn the music down some if i ask politely, which helps but only to a degree. but yeah, it’s not street music so much as the growing presence of overhead speaker music & background noise in public life. it really shuts out people with sensory issues. makes it difficult for us to socialize and in general just to function in public spaces
I wrote a paper on this for a music class! The prof was a bit surprised and said she had never thought about how background music could hurt people with sensory issues so basically we just need more awareness. But there is hope! Here’s some stuff I learned:
- the UK has been getting better at this
- many essential stores there now have “quiet hours” where they turn off music, minimize announcements, minimize beeping of cash registers, and dim the lights
- one large supermarket chain got rid of music altogether to make their stores more accessible
- other countries could benefit from this
- in the US 1% of the population uses wheelchairs so buildings are required to have wheelchair ramps under the ADA
- 7-8% of the population has sensory issues so following the UK’s example would definitely fall under “reasonable accommodations” required by the ADA
- let’s bring “quiet hours” to the US and other countries!
Finally, have a meme:
oh I LOVE this
People always say I’m being “dramatic” about this but i literally cannot listen to a person talk or verbalize my own thoughts if there is too much background noise of any kind. Music too loud at a cafe? It’s absolutely draining to impossible for me to have a conversation there. I have to wear headphones to the supermarket and then awkwardly take them off at checkout (no self checkout in Germany). Any kind of siren? Congrats I’m plugging my ears with my fingers and i have to stop walking because the sound makes it so i can’t concentrate on my steps. Boyfriend watching a video and simultaneously playing a game with sound on? I have to leave the room and close the door because it makes me aggressive af. Same goes for kids screaming/crying. I get so god damn angry i have to literally go away.
I didn’t know any of this was legit, i thought i was just being unnecessarily sensitive and bothering everyone ._.
Holy shit I thought this was normal too
nope, this is a very real medical issue!
hypersensitivity to noise (medically known as Hyperacusis) is common in autistic/ADHD folks & people with sensory processing disorder, but can also be caused by a number of other issues. It can be an enormous and often literal headache to deal with.
I’ve written about it and shared some coping mechanisms here. if you struggle with sensitivity to sound, please make an appointment with a local ENT doctor—there are therapy and treatment options available (though it is an uncommon enough issue that I would call ahead to let them know your concerns, and ask them to take time to research treatment recommendations in advance of your appointment. you can also ask to be referred to a specialist). This isn’t something anyone should have to deal with alone.
