AURAL DIVERSITY CONFERENCE 2026
Hearing, perception, and social understanding in different individuals
3 September 2026
MediaCityUK & Online
WHAT IS AURAL DIVERSITY?
The concept of aural diversity upholds that hearing differences do not occur along a binary spectrum from “normal” to “impaired,” but instead are a broad spectrum of listening and hearing types. Aurally-diverse thinking has begun to influence many disciplines, improving accessibility for aurally-diverse people.
KEY DATES
– Abstract Submission Deadline:
1 July 2026
– Notification for Acceptance:
20 July 2026
– Registration Deadline
20 August 2026
– Conference Date:
3 September 2026
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
We welcome participants at all career stages, whether you are presenting or simply interested in the topic. As an emerging field, aural diversity still needs more visibility, and we aim to highlight the wide range of voices working in this area.
ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
Aural Diversity Conference was first organised in 2025 by students and academic staff from the Leverhulme Trust Aural Diversity Research Hub. After a really positive first year, the conference returns in 2026 for its second edition.
The idea behind the conference is quite simple: people do not hear and experience sound in the same way. Rather than thinking about hearing in terms of normal versus impaired, the conference focuses on the wide range of ways people perceive and respond to sound.
We bring together researchers and students from a range of fields to explore these ideas from different perspectives, including music, psychology, acoustics, architecture, engineering and many more.
More than anything, the conference aims to create a space where these ideas can be shared and developed together. We encourage anyone interested in the topic to submit their work.
QUICK LINKS
Call for abstracts and registration details
