NY Transit Installs Hearing Loops

Editor: Here's more good news for those of us who would like to see induction loops installed as widely as possible. Now people with hearing loss will have an easier time talking to the transit workers in the information booths and call boxes.

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The Hearing Access Program announced today that induction loops are being installed at all subway information booths and call boxes as part of the Obama Stimulus Package. Induction loops allow a person with a t-coil in their hearing aid to hear the person in the booth or on the other side of the call box directly through their hearing aid when they switch their hearing aid to the "T" setting.

An induction loop system utilizes an electro-magnetic coil to create a magnetic field. Hearing aids or cochlear implants with T-coils receive the sound signal directly via their T-coil when the hearing aid is switched from the microphone to T-setting.

"New York City is the first city in the United States to offer induction loops in their subway system," said Janice Schacter, the founder and chair of the Hearing Access Program. "The goal is for New York to be the model for access for people with hearing loss."

Seven subway stations now have induction loops:

Bowling Green, 77th Street - Lexington, 86th Street - Lexington, 23rd Street- 7th Ave, 45th Court House Square, 36th Ave-Washington Ave and Wall Street. Substantial completion of the project will be reached by December 31, 2011.

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About the Hearing Access Program

The Hearing Access Program established in 2002, is the only organization dedicated to helping the world's corporations, cultural and entertainment institutions, government agencies, and mass transit organizations improve their accessibility for people with hearing loss. For more information, contact Janice at Jschacter@nyc.rr.com. More information on induction loops can be found at www.hearingloop.org.