There's a growing movement in the US to greatly increase the locations
that provide loops. Read all about Let's Loop America!
Interested in where loops are or should be
installed?
November
2001 - Interested in a simple and inexpensive group assistive listening
device that's very effective? Perhaps an audio loop is what you're
looking for. Here's
a bunch of great information from the 2001 SHHH Convention Audio Loop
Panel.
May 2003 - If you're interested in the
science of induction loops, here's a great article
that explains it all, complete with figures, graphs, and equations!
August 2003 -
Here's a powerful story from Denise Portis on watching TV
using a loop system.
October 2004 - Here's
David Myers' update on induction loops.
January 2005 -
David
Myers reports that half of hearing aids sold in the US now come with
telecoils!
January 2006 - I
recently sat surrounded by several hundred others in London's Gatwick
Airport departure lounge, straining to hear announcements about my
delayed flight. Alas, the loudspeaker sound was too distant and foggy
for my hard-of-hearing ears. But hold it. This was the United Kingdom, a
country whose cathedrals, churches, and auditoriums now broadcast sound
wirelessly to hearing aids. . . . Knowing all this, at the airport I
turned my hearing aids to their T setting. Voilą! Suddenly I was
hearing announcements broadcast from inside my ears. Full
Story
August 2006 - In a looped America, hearing aids would be twice as valuable
December 2006 - Grand
Rapids airport to help hearing impaired
January 2007 - Looping
America - One Community at a Time
February
2007 - Looping system in public rooms improves
hearing
February 2007 - Leeds
Advocates Encourage Businesses to Install and Maintain Loops
March
2007 - Keeping Everyone in the Loop!
August 2007 -
Let's bring New Mexico into hard-of-hearing loop
November 2007 - Hearing Aids Alone Won't Do the Trick
January 2008 -
Induction Loop Basics for Houses of Worship
April 2008 -
More Praise for Induction Loops
June 2008 - Michigan Airport Announces New Hearing Loop
System
June 2008 - Looping of New York Taxis is Underway
July 2008 -
Induction Loop Makes HOA Meetings Accessible
August 2008 -
Looped Movie Theater - Is That a Great Idea or What?
August 2008 - New Zealand Airport installs induction
loop!
September 2008 -
We've Looped West Michigan. Could We Loop America?
November 2008 -
Induction Loops and Hearing Aid Satisfaction
January 2009 - Contacta Announces Portable Loop
System
June 2009 -
Minnesota Courtroom Gets Induction Loop
June 2009 - Loops Make Churches Accessible for People
with Hearing Loss
June 2009 -
Induction Loops: Completing the Hearing Aid
June 2009 -
Pan-Oston releases kits to make self-checkouts hearing
impaired-friendly
October 2009 - International Conference on Induction
Loops
October 2009 - First International Hearing Loops
Conference
October 2009 -
International Hearing Loop Conference Presentations
Online!
October 2009 -
A Loopy Idea That Works: Using Telecoils to Turn Hearing
Aids into Mini Loudspeakers
October 2009 - Audiologists who "Get it" Promoting
Hearing Loops
October 2009 -
Connectivity: Early steps point the way toward wireless
wonders to come
December 2009 -
Hearing-loss group gets looped
December 2009 - Albuquerque Little Theater Patrons Get
Looped
December 2009 -
Loopy Hearing Aide Idea Brings In Speech Loud and Clear
December 2009 -
Hearing Loop Completes the Hearing Aid
January 2010 -
HLAA Boards Hearing Loop Train
February 2010 -
Progress Toward the Looping of America
February 2010 - Have we reached the "tipping point" on
audio loops?
February 2010 - HLAA and AAA Promote Hearing Loops!
April 2010 - Too many hard of hearing people are
missing out
April 2010 - NY Transit Installs Hearing Loops
May 2010 -
Shops face legal risk from hearing aid users
May 2010 -
Induction Loop Systems: Help for Hearing Aids
June 2010 -
NY Subway Information Booths Looped
July 2010 -
Helping Those With Hearing Loss Get In The Loop
July 2010 - You Need to be Heard: Advocating for
Hearing Loops
August 2010 -
Looped Church Makes all the Difference
September 2010 -
Looping America - One Way to Improve Accessibility for
People with Hearing Loss
October 2010 - 2nd International Hearing Loop Conference
Announced
November 2010 -
Wisconsin audiologist introduces hearing loops to
community
December 2010 -
Hearing Loop Assisted Listening Systems
February 2011 -
Indian Trails Busses install hearing loop technology
May 2011 - Get in the Hearing Loop
June 2011 - Hearing Loop Conference Workshop Schedule and
Slides
August 2011 - Hearing Loop Conference: Getting into the
Hearing Loop
September 2011 -
Why Hearing Loops are Back to Stay
October 2011 - New York City Transit adds Induction
Loops to Station Booths
October 2011 -
New York Times article spreads the word on the wonders of
hearing loops
November 2011 - Harnessing the Human Factor in Hearing
Assistance
November 2011 - The Hearing Loop Movement is
Accelerating
November 2011 -
2nd International Hearing Loop Conference White Paper
November 2011 -
SW Florida Performing Arts Venues Install Loops
December 2011 -
Understanding Hearing Loops
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May 2003
I realize that this article will only appeal to the technogeeks (like
me) in our audience. It's a very thorough and complete explanation of
how induction loops work - complete with graphs, charts, and equations.
The paper is written by Leon Pieters, who is the Managing Director of
Ampetronic, a company that designs and installs these systems. Leon
says, "You will need pencil, paper and a strong Cappuccino to
understand this." He's right!
Point your browser to http://www.dt4u.com/dtsystems/looptech.htm
Thanks to Bob MacPherson of bhNEWS for the lead on this site.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
August
2006
"Imagine a
future where hearing aids serve not only as sophisticated microphone
amplifiers, but also as customized, in-the-ear loudspeakers for the
binaural broadcast of television, a PA system, and telephone sound. In the
United Kingdom, and now in part of Michigan, this imagined future is fast
becoming reality. "Might the combined efforts of hearing professionals,
the hearing industry, and people with hearing loss enable hearing
id-compatible assistive listening to spread across this nation- to the
betterment of hard-of-hearing consumers and those who serve them?"
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January
2007
An
inexpensive and unobtrusive system called the "loop" can solve
these inconveniences and allow patients to improve the quality and
comfort of day-to-day interactions that most people take for granted.
Any person that walks into a looped home or venue can put their hearing
aids in the T-coil position and receive the crisp, clear binaural
broadcast of a private speaker system, television, PA system or
telephone sound. Full
Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
February 2007
CAMPAIGNERS in Leeds want to make communication
easier for more than 100,000 people in the city who are hard of hearing.
They say a hearing loop should be available in all shops, eateries,
businesses and public buildings. The Leeds Society for Deaf and Blind
People is campaigning with the Hard of Hearing Forum to make the
induction loop, which is connected to an amplifier, accessible for all.
Full
Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
August 2007
Sometimes people with hearing loss just don't
appear to be with it. That's not because they're looped - it's because
where they are is not looped, and they can't hear. For the hard of
hearing, "looped" means a place with an induction loop system that
transmits a silent, electromagnetic signal to the telecoil in their
hearing aids. It's a technology widely used in Great Britain and elsewhere
in Europe. Loop technology is now taking hold in America, including here
in Albuquerque. At many local places, hard-of-hearing people can hear
church services or meeting proceedings - or a TV with the volume turned
down low. They can even talk hands-free on their cell phones.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January 2008
Because of the huge variety in age and
construction of various types of houses of worship, the installation of
modern induction-loop technology into those facilities is a continuously
diverse challenge. But before we examine loop systems, it is fundamental
to consider what constitutes hearing loss and the effect that can have on
a person's day-to-day life. Suffering from hearing loss can be a traumatic
and isolating experience because it reduces the ability to understand what
you are hearing, particularly speech. Initially, it becomes difficult to
distinguish the sounds that you want to hear from surrounding background
noise. Then, as hearing loss advances, you lose your ability to hear the
high-frequency sounds that make speech intelligible - and it becomes
muffled, incoherent, and impossible to understand. This can change a
person's life dramatically, and it can become impossible to interact
normally with other people, either socially or in public places.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
April 2008
It seems simple enough: Give people who wear
hearing aids a WiFi-style boost that allows them to hear their TV sets
without blasting other people out of the room. The technology - an
induction loop system - is in wide use in northern Europe but has barely
made a blip in the United States, where 31 million people have impaired
hearing. Now a Sacramento audiologist is working on changing that. Julia
Tanner, who practices in the Campus Commons area, says her patients love
the system she has pushed for more than a year. "Even with a mild hearing
loss, which is getting more and more common as we age, hearing something
that's across the room clearly is difficult," Tanner said. "As soon as we
start introducing other things into the room - an air conditioner or fan
noise - that's competing with the TV. ... Anything over eight to 10 feet
away, the hearing aid doesn't really pick up." Virgil Petrocchi, who is
92, has had his TV room "looped" for the past eight months. "It's the
greatest thing that's ever happened," said the Sacramento resident. "We're
both (he and Faye, his wife of 68 years) hard of hearing, and it just
works wonderfully."
Full
Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
July 2008
Korra and Omer Olson hadn't attended homeowners
association meetings at their Spokane Valley retirement community in
several months for a simple reason: Both are hard of hearing and they
couldn't make out what people were saying. That changed about three months
ago when the community center at Good Samaritan Village installed an
"induction loop" system. Basically, wire runs around the room's perimeter,
hidden behind crown molding, and connects to an amplified microphone. The
system emits signals to specially equipped hearing aids, enabling users to
hear clearly what's being said. Korra Olson's hearing aids are equipped
with the tiny wires called telecoils, but her husband's are not, so he
spent $150 on a headset designed to work with the system.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
August 2008
Dallas Adolphsen will be able to hear the dialogue
of his favorite movies better than ever at Traverse City's State Theatre
-- thanks to the donation of an induction loop system to the landmark
cinema. Adolphsen, who has had a cochlear implant for five years, was on
hand Saturday as fine tuning of the system that provides more distinct,
audible sound in public settings allowed him to clearly hear the voice of
Robin Williams and the sound of hoof beats in a favorite film, "Jumanji".
"I could hear them. The sounds were much more distinct and clearer," said
Adolphsen, of Traverse City, noting that dialogue, music and background
noise were often jumbled when he tried to take in a film at a public
theater. He indicated that the problem has been greatly minimized with the
induction loop. Acquiring the InfoLoop induction loop system for the State
Theatre was spearheaded by Traverse City doctors of audiology Sandra Leahy
and Kathleen Sawhill who, along with Richard McKinley of Contacta Inc of
Zeeland, donated the plan, equipment and installation of the system that
transmits a movie's sound directly to cochlear implants and hearing aids
equipped with a telecoil switch.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
September 2008
Picture two worlds, and ask-which one you would
prefer? And, which do you suppose most of America's 31.5 million people
with hearing loss would prefer? World One offers assistive listening that
is hearing aid incompatible. It requires you, and those who are less open
about their hearing loss, to take the initiative when entering public
venues to locate and check out special equipment, to remove your hearing
aids, to wear either ear buds that have been in others' ears or a
conspicuous headset, and then afterwards, to replace the hearing aids and
return the assistive unit. World Two offers assistive listening that is
hearing aid compatible. It requires nothing more than pushing a hearing
aid button, whereupon it becomes an in-the-ear loudspeaker that broadcasts
sound customized for your own ears. World One describes most of the United
States. World Two describes 21st century Britain, Denmark (a world center
for hearing technology), and increasingly Australia.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
November 2008
As an American college professor who sojourns
periodically in Scotland, I recently flew across the Atlantic, leaving
behind my home country in which assistive listening is largely
hearing-aid-incompatible. As a person with hearing loss, if I go to a
theater, place of worship or an auditorium in most of the United States, I
can benefit from assistive listening only if I assert myself when entering
a venue. I must locate and check out special equipment, remove my hearing
aids, wear either ear buds that have been in others' ears or a visible
headset, struggle to hear generic sound not customized for my ears and,
afterwards, return the unit and replace my hearing aids. It's small wonder
that most assistive listening units sit unused in theatre closets and
sanctuary cupboards. . . . . Arriving in Scotland 2 weeks ago, I found
myself in a more supportive environment. After landing at Edinburgh
Airport, I made my way to the baggage claim carousels and immediately
noticed signage indicating that a hearing-aid-compatible hearing loop
would broadcast any announcements via my hearing aid telecoils-effectively
transforming my hearing aids into loudspeakers that deliver sound
customized for my ears. The next morning, we ventured out to worship near
our St. Andrews flat. Even after 2 years spent in Scotland, the accent is
sometimes a challenge to pick up. But the task became much easier when I
activated my telecoils and found the minister's voice broadcast by my
in-the-ear loudspeakers. Picking up a Church of Scotland magazine, I
noticed four audio firms advertising their services, marketing only
hearing-aid-compatible assistive listening via induction loops.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
June 2009
But, he said, for many hearing-impaired people who
wear hearing aids, the infrared system and the headphones don't always
work as well, partly because of discomfort caused by the pressure of the
headphones against the hearing aid and partly because the sound from the
headphones is simply a generic amplification that might not meet the
user's particular hearing loss. Also, hearing in large spaces, such as a
courtroom or church sanctuary, can be difficult. "The large space sucks
all the energy out of the words," Benshoof said. And so at Benhoof's
request, the Ninth Judicial District for the State of Minnesota installed
an inductive hearing loop system in the first floor courtroom of the
Judicial Center. This system, more commonly used in Europe than in
America, produces a magnetic field that drives a device present in most
hearing aids called a telecoil. The effect of this technology is that a
person can set his or her hearing aid to the telecoil position while in
the courtroom and listen to what's being said just as if he or she were
talking on a phone.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
June 2009
Pan-Oston, a leader in smart retail counter and
checkout solutions, has introduced a kit that enables retailers,
healthcare providers, airlines, hotels, libraries, businesses, government
agencies and private service organizations to unobtrusively and directly
assist hearing-aid wearers. According to a news release, the Shop Hear and
Service Hear upgrade kits combine sophisticated electronic induction loop
circuitry with a system's amplifier, microphone(s), power and connecting
cables and signage to quickly convert any self-service or self-checkout
counter to a hearing impaired-friendly point of communication.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
October 2009
Videos of all presentations and the panel
discussions at HEARING LOOPS, the first international conference on audio
frequency induction loop systems (AFILS), which was held in Winterthur /
Switzerland, September 25-27, 2009, can now be downloaded as video
streams. Go to
http://www.hearingloops.org/ and click on ³Speakers², ³Schedule² or
³Panel Discussion² and start the video. The video streams will be online
for 18 months.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
October 2009
Whereas standard behind- and in-the-ear hearing
aids work well in relatively quiet, more intimate settings, these devices
often lose their effectiveness in larger, public spaces where background
noise puts the hard of hearing at a disadvantage. Although the technology
to solve this problem-induction-loop systems that broadcast sound directly
to hearing aids and cochlear implants-has been available for years,
implementation has lagged, advocates say, because not enough is being done
to promote their use.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
October 2009
Increasingly, we are living in a wireless world.
We can make and receive telephone calls while walking down a city street;
we can listen to music while jogging in a park; we can e-mail, text, and
compute anywhere from the airport to the zoo. No longer are we tethered to
desks, phone booths, and electrical outlets. We are free to wander
wirelessly through the array of electronics this world provides. Unless we
wear hearing aids. For all too many consumers, wearing hearing aids
precludes wireless clarity when using a digital mobile telephone or
listening to music on an MP3 player or attending a concert or lecture or
even watching a television program at home. But what if hearing-impaired
people could hear music, lectures, TV programs, and telephone conversation
wirelessly through their own hearing aids-devices that are customized and
programmed to amplify according to each person's individual hearing loss?
Imagine moving through the day, from activity to activity, environment to
environment, taking advantage of the latest generation of electronic
devices without need for neckloops, headsets, or other such devices. We're
not there yet, but the first steps have been taken. And based on research
currently under way, the day of easy, wireless connectivity for wearers of
hearing aids is coming.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
December 2009
The Adult Loss of Hearing Association is looped,
and it wants you to get looped, too. That's not a reference to holiday
overindulgence. Rather, the group would like to see more public places -
and private homes with hearing-impaired residents - install induction
looping technology that sends out a wireless signal to certain hearing
aids or to portable headsets. When someone is "in the loop," he or she can
hear speech clearly because sound is being delivered directly from the
source, be it a television or a live person, without any background noise.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
December 2009
Standard hearing aids capture sound via a
microphone and then send an amplified version to an earpiece. They work
well in relatively quiet, intimate settings, but in public spaces filled
with background noise, most users find them of little use. A simple
technology that sidesteps the problem, long available in Europe, has
finally begun entering the U.S. market. Advocates hope that with the
success of pilot projects, the hearing impaired will be able to find
public address announcements and other kinds of speech more intelligible.
The technology is an induction-loop system (known as a hearing loop),
whereby electromagnetic waves produced by a microphone, public address
system or telephone receiver induce an analogous current in the loop. The
loop can broadcast the signals directly to a hearing aid equipped with an
appropriate detector-specifically, a tiny copper telecoil wire, which
picks up the signal (also via induction) and then sends it for
amplification and transmission out of the earpiece.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
December 2009
You may know that I'm a big fan of hearing loops,
also called induction loops. For many people with telecoils in their
hearing aid, they provide the most convenient access to sound from various
sources. Here's a great presentation that touches on all the various
wireless methods of getting sound to folks with hearing loss. It was
created by the folks at Wireless Hearing Solutions of Spring Lake,
Michigan. They focus on hearing loss, so the presentation may have a bit
of a bias towards loops. But it also has a lot of great information about
all the various solutions.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January 2010
I was delighted to represent HLAA at the first
International Hearing Loops Conference, September 25-27, 2009, in Europe.
. . . . The Hearing Loss Association of America(r) renovated the national
office space in Bethesda, Maryland, last October to include a new
conference room designed to be hearing-friendly for meetings and
presentations. Thirteen of the 15 HLAA National Board of Trustees members
and one-third of the staff have hearing loss; therefore, it is important
that staff and board meetings are completely communication accessible.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
February 2010
For
Americans with hearing loss, the inclusion of telecoils in all hearing
aids and the looping of America would double hearing aid functionality,
increase hearing aid sales and patient satisfaction, and, most
importantly, enable those of us with hearing loss to hear in countless
situations where we now experience uncertainty and stress. . . . imagine
yourself as a person with significant hearing loss. While seated at the
theater or at worship, or standing at a ticket window, you find yourself
struggling to hear. Which of these hearing solutions would you prefer?
Would you want:
1. To take
the initiative to locate, check out, wear, and later return special
equipment (often a receiver with a headset or earphones that are likely
incompatible with your hearing aids), or
2. To push
a hearing aid or cochlear implant button, turning your own hearing
instrument into a wireless loudspeaker that broadcasts sound customized
for your own ears?
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May 2010
SHOP owners in Glasgow are risking legal action by
failing to provide services for customers with hearing problems. The
warning comes after a study revealed 84% of businesses did not have the
correct technology to help customers with hearing aids communicate. The
Royal National Institute for the Deaf found the majority of 156 businesses
they surveyed did not have operational 'induction loops'. The device helps
users hear conversations by amplifying speech over background noise. The
report found 64% of the businesses they questioned did not have an
induction loop system while 11 loops were not turned on. Other problems
were caused by staff lacking the appropriate training to operate the
system.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May 2010
The development of modern digital hearing aids has
introduced wonderful new possibilities to help hearing-impaired people.
Fittings and set-ups are easier, amplification is powerful and handling
has become more convenient. It is safe to say that the hearing aid has
been the most important tool for hard-of-hearing people for decades and
will be so for the foreseeable future.
However, there are numerous situations where a
hearing aid is not sufficient for all listening needs and where an
additional system may be needed. Wherever there is a high background noise
or a long distance to the signal source, the signal-to-noise ratio runs
too low and problems in hearing become evident. In places like churches,
concert halls, theaters, cinemas, conference rooms, school classrooms,
work situations, and sometimes even in homes, it can be hard to hear with
only the assistance of hearing aids.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
June 2010
Getting around on the New York subways just got a
lot easier for hard-of-hearing passengers. That's because station
information booths are now fitted with "hearing loops" thanks to the
efforts of Janice Schacter, chair of the Manhattan-based Hearing Access
Program, and funds from President Obama's stimulus package. "We had a
shovel-ready project that fit the criteria," says Schacter. Much as a
Wi-Fi network delivers wireless Internet access to computer users in
coffee shops, a loop system takes sound from an electronic source, such as
a microphone or TV, and delivers it directly to a hearing aid, right into
a listener's head. Hearing loops are relatively simple to install. The
loop is created when a wire is installed around the perimeter of the room
or subway car and plugged into an audio source. That wire then sends a
signal to a tiny copper coil that's now standard in most hearing aids.
(Older hearing aids can usually be retrofitted for about $250.)
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
July 2010
This is TALK OF THE NATION SCIENCE FRIDAY. I'm Ira
Flatow. Do you ever walk through a train station or airport in Europe or
visited a cathedral there? You may have noticed one of the many blue signs
of a human ear with the words hearing loop installed written underneath.
The signs are a cue to the deaf or to hearing impaired, flip a little
switch on your hearing aid and you can tune it to specially broadcast
announcements sent directly into your ear, kind of like Wi-Fi for hearing
aids. For those with hearing problems, it can make hearing a totally
different experience. The technology is relatively cheap, it's simple, but
even though an estimated 36 million Americans have some level of hearing
loss, it doesn't seem to have caught on here in the U.S., at least not
yet. Joining me now to tell us more about hearing loops and how they work
is a man who is pioneering an effort to get them installed everywhere.
David Myers is a professor of psychology at Hope College in Holland,
Michigan. He is also a loop hearing system user. Welcome to SCIENCE
FRIDAY, Dr. Myers.
Full
Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
August 2010
For about four years, the Rev. Christine Chakoian
recalls hearing nothing but gibberish when members of her north suburban
Presbyterian church rose to ask the congregation to pray for them on
Sunday. Cut off by a combination of the sanctuary's acoustics and a
typical hearing aid that blurred sounds traveling a distance, the Rev.
Chakoian wouldn't know what to pray because she couldn't understand what
was said from the pews. The disconnect not only undermined the Rev.
Chakoian's connection to her congregation at First Presbyterian Church of
Lake Forest, Ill., but it weakened her relationship with God. "In the
Presbyterian church the word of God is the center of worship. If you can't
hear the word, you're shut off from worship," she said. "You're there to
be part of the community of faith. To not be able to participate in the
community is worse than not being there at all." That changed a year ago
when the Lake Forest, Ill., church adopted the equivalent of Wi-Fi for the
hearing-impaired, otherwise known as a hearing loop.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Patricia Kricos
September 2010
If you attended the General Assembly during
AudiologyNOW!(r) 2010 in San Diego, you are aware that the American
Academy of Audiology is working with the Hearing Loss Association of
America (HLAA) to advocate for improved accessibility for the 36 million
Americans who have hearing loss. The goal is to increase consumer and
audiologist awareness of hearing aid- and cochlear implant-compatible
assistive listening systems, including telecoils and hearing loops, as
well as other technology that will enhance the listening abilities of
those with hearing loss. There have been exciting advances in hearing
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Rob Senior
While the United States tends to be on the cutting
edge of new technologies, sometimes it pays to looks to other parts of the
world for the latest advances and ideas. The audiology profession is no
different.
When Juliėtte Sterkens, AuD, originally from the
Netherlands and currently residing in Oshkosh, WI, started introducing and
popularizing hearing loop technology in her community, many people thought
they were seeing the latest advance to help individuals with hearing loss.
But in reality, the idea had been around for quite some time.
"I was learning about this in in my studies--back
in the late 1970s--in the Netherlands," says Dr. Sterkens.
But it wasn't until October 2008 that Dr. Sterkens
realized hearing loops would not only be good for her patients; they also
make great sense from an audiology practice point of view. Today, Juliėtte
combines her audiology experience with the engineering background of her
husband, LeRoy "Max" Maxfield, to bring hearing loop technology to the Fox
Valley in Wisconsin.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
December 2010
It's always interesting to see old technology
become new again. We see it daily in our lives, but I'm referring to a
specific type of old tech; hearing loops. The technology, which is
correctly known by the name of inductive loops, has been in existence for
decades. Based on Faraday's law of induction, a magnetic field is created
and individuals that have a Telecoil (t-coil) equipped hearing aid, can
receive audio signals directly in their hearing aid. A "loop" is a
relatively low-tech solution. In simple terms an area is surrounded
"looped" with a piece of copper wire.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
February 2011
For the over 36 million Americans who experience
hearing loss, a motor coach trip creates a struggle to hear which stop is
next or listen to the tour guide explain the history of an area. No longer
for patrons of Indian Trails, Inc., which has aspired to be the first
company in the United States to install hearing loop technology in a motor
coach. "Why should hearing loss prevent you from enjoying a motor coach
trip?" asks Jeff Deason, sales director for Indian Trails. Hearing loops
transmit audio signals via a magnetic field created by a wire that loops
around the interior of the coach. The transmitter is attached to the
audio/video system.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
June 2011
The second International Hearing Loop Conference
was held in conjunction with the 2011 HLAA Convention from June 18-20,
2011, at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia.
Here's a link to the
workshop schedule and many of the presentation slides.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
September 2011
It's ironic and somewhat unfortunate that the
special feature that has the potential to provide the most benefit for
many patients is one that often receives the least attention. In fact,
it's entirely possible that the same audiologists who are concerned about
the best DNR, directionally and feedback reduction systems might not even
include telecoils in the majority of hearing aids that they dispense. The
"potential benefit" I'm referring to is the use of telecoils with hearing
loops. These loops could be installed somewhere as simple as the patient's
living room, or made available in public listening locations like banks,
hospitals, airports, auditoriums, places of worship and taxis. The list
could go on and on (and maybe some day it will). All the patient needs is
telecoils in his or her hearing aids. For a variety of reasons, the U.S.
is far behind many other countries in the use of hearing loops. But
hopefully that is changing. One person who is making it change, room by
room, in her part of the world is this month's 20Q guest author.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
October 2011
For a decade or so, a growing band of advocates
has been moving, slowly but steadily, toward its goal of "looping
America." Their vision is to have induction loops installed in public
venues all over the country, so that people who use telecoil-equipped
hearing aids and cochlear implants will be able to hear and communicate
effectively in noisy places despite their hearing loss. This looping
technology, which enables hearing aids to receive only the sounds coming
directly from a microphone without the background noise, has been around
for decades. While it is widely available in Scandinavia and Great
Britain, it has been slow to catch on in the U.S. However, the looping
movement got a major boost this week when a lengthy article in the October
24 New York Times, entitled "A Hearing Aid That Can Cut Out All the
Clatter," gave this technology the kind of positive publicity that no
amount of money could buy. In the article, which was summarized that same
day in the blog AARP News, Times reporter John Tierney led with the
powerful story of a composer, Richard Einhorn, who had suddenly suffered a
severe hearing loss last year at the age of 57
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
November 2011
The 2nd International Hearing Loop Conference was
co-hosted by the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) and the
American Academy of Audiology (Academy) in Crystal City, Virginia, from
June 18 through June 20, 2011. The conference was a culmination of the
year-long "Get in the Hearing Loop" campaign spearheaded by HLAA and the
Academy. The event offered an international, highly public platform "to
enlighten and excite consumers, as well as audiologists and other
professionals who dispense hearing aids or provide services to individuals
with cochlear implants, about telecoils and hearing loops and their unique
benefits." The conference was noteworthy in many ways.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
November 2011
The home of America's top beach could also soon be
the most hearing-friendly city in the nation. Using a grant from the Selby
Foundation, 10 performing arts venues in Southwest Florida will install
"hearing induction loops" that should vault the region to the national
forefront of friendliness to the hearing impaired. Seven other local
organizations - including three churches, a senior center and a library -
also announced plans to install systems outside of the grant funding. With
110,000 people - roughly 16 percent of the population - of Sarasota and
Manatee counties suffering from a hearing loss, the region has one of the
highest hearing impairment rates in the nation.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
December 2011
An Audio Frequency Induction Loop System, or AFILS,
is a relatively new acronym for an old approach to assistive listening
that is more commonly known as a "hearing loop". Using the full term may
seem redundant to professionals in the hearing health industry because we
know that the product of the inductive transmission is an audio signal,
typically one that conveys speech information. Using the term AFILS or
hearing loop is a matter of personal preference. But, it is imperative
that AFILS/hearing loops are distinguished from neck loops. A neck loop is
often supplied as a coupler to frequency-modulation (FM) systems and/or
infra-red (IR) systems. At the outset, I will mention that all three of
these assistive listening devices (ALDs) are capable of providing hearing
instrument compatible auditory access through a telecoil! So, when you say
something is "looped", you may want to clarify what you mean because
facilities with hearing loops are not as common as you might think. This
article will: review the rationale for ALDs; outline the advantages and
disadvantages of hearing loops; list types of hearing loop installations;
and present considerations for programming the telecoil response in the
hearing instrument.
Full Story
