Library Newsletter Article
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CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?
HERE IS WHAT IS NEW AT THE MAIN LIBRARY FOR THE HARD OF HEARING
Did you know that 17% of the population is hard of hearing and 60% of
that number is under the age of 54? This is not an "Old
Person's" Disability.
The Library Foundation and The Danford Foundation have joined
together with SHHH-Peninsula (Self Help for the Hard of Hearing), which
meets in Redwood City, and are proud to announce our "Library
Project." Thanks to both of the foundations that graciously gave us
two separate grants, we have opened the upstairs room in the main
Redwood City library for hard of hearing people to come and try out
devices to be able to hear better.
The Library Foundation gave us money to purchase books, tapes and
"The Loop." (Induction loop). This technology is based on
electromagnetic transmission and has the unique advantage that the
signal is received directly by the user's hearing aid when it is
equipped with a Tele-coil (telemagnetic pickup coil, most often referred
to as a T-coil). A teleloop system consists of an amplifier and a
discrete wire (the loop) that runs along the perimeter of the room. When
the loop amplifier is hooked up to an audio source such as a TV or PA
system, the sound is received wireless by the user's hearing aid without
the need for an additional receiver as is required by all other
technologies. Induction receivers are available for hearing impaired
people without hearing aids or without the telecoil feature. Peter
Bengtson from Centrum Sound was kind enough to work with us and install
it for us.
Using the grant from the Danford Foundation, we are in the process of
purchasing all the devices. These devices help with the TV, telephone,
at the restaurants, in other social settings and any other place that
the hard of hearing person has trouble hearing.
The people who come to the library fill out a questionnaire as to
where they have trouble hearing and then have an opportunity to try out
these devices with the help of all our volunteers. We hear over and over
" I can't believe how much better I can here with these inexpensive
devices when my hearing aids cost so much." Hearing aids are the
first step but if you are having trouble hearing while using them, there
are so many other devices out there.
One man we helped couldn't hear anywhere. He was in a deep
depression. He had two $3000 hearing aids. We supplied him with devices
for the telephone, TV and going out to dinner for less than $300 and he
said " Oh my gosh, you have saved my life, what can I do for
you?" We said, "Just spread the word." Now that man is
living a very happy, fulfilling life.
We look forward to seeing any of you that need to hear better. We are
open the first Wednesday of each month, beginning at 10:30 a.m.
Raegene Castle, President
SHHH-Peninsula
Redwood City, CA
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