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Get in the Loop Cape Cod!
Better Hearing In Big Rooms
Falmouth Library
October 24, 2015
Today's Topics
Better Hearing in a Big Room
Hearing Loss Facts
Need for Hearing Assistive Technology
Assistive Technology Overview – Joe Beals
Assistive Technology Installation –
Shaun Crossen, Shanahan Sound
What You Can Do – Penny Snow
Hearing Loss Facts
Cape Cod's Older Population

Barnstable County
28% over 65 yrs

Massachusetts
15% over 65 yrs
= 60,000 people



= 1 million people
About 1 in 3 people over age 65 have hearing loss =
20,000 people in Barnstable County
Hearing worsens as you age.
Aging baby boomer population will more than double
in next 20 years. “Gray tsunami”.
2014 Census Bureau estimates
Hearing Loss Realities

Across all age groups:

Veteran's returning from the Middle East

Teenagers who listen to loud music




Most common birth defect
Invisible disability = lack of understanding


1 out of 5 over age 12 have hearing loss.
“Listen harder” ... “Turn your hearing aid up”
We try to fake it. (De Nile is not just a river in Egypt.)
Hearing aids are not used by many who could benefit
because of cost or belief it won't help.
Harsh Reality

Research has shown that people need to get out and
socialize for PHYSICAL AND MENTAL health.
A ramp will get you in,
glasses will let you see,
but a hearing aid won't
let you hear
everything!
Result: We stay home....
Factors Affecting Hearing in a Big Room

Things you can't change Things you can change

Subject matter

Your attention

Clarity of
speaker
Distance from
speaker
Ambient noise
Reverberation
Distance From Speaker
Affects Hearing

People with normal hearing can hear
from 20-30 feet away.

With a hearing aid, you can hear
from 6 to 10 feet away.

Think of yourself in a
hearing bubble.

Assistive devices can
increase the size of the
bubble.
How can you hear better?
Move closer to the speaker
or
Move the microphone closer to you
Hearing Loops



Magnetic induction loop
of wire
No receivers or batteries
for venue to manage
Works with your hearing
aid or cochlear implant
telecoil.
International standard IEC
60118-4
Customized sound from
your own device directly
into your ear.
Resolves distance,
reverberation and
ambient noise issues
Invisible and discrete
Telecoils
SETTING
T Only
WHAT IT MEANS
Telecoil on;
microphone off
tiny metal rod surrounded
by coils of copper wire.
Designed first for telephone use
PROs
CONs
Allows you to hear
through ALDs and
nothing else; good in
noisy settings
Cannot monitor your
own voice
Might be distracting
in noisy settings.
Will not work with
loops, FM, IR without
a manual override
.
M+T
Microphone and
Telecoil on
Allows you to hear
through ALDs AND HAs;
Allows you to monitor
your own voice and to
hear seatmate.
Auto-T
Automatic
Telecoil
Allows you to hear on
Hearing aid compatible
phone
Other Options for Big Spaces
FM



Radio waves
Everyone needs a
receiver
Transmitter and receiver
must be on the same
channel
Those with telecoils may
need a neckloop.
Infrared (IR) light waves
Everyone needs a receiver
Sound encoded as
modulated invisible light
Must have clear line of sign
between transmitters and
receivers.
Must have no obstructions - columns, people, etc.
In an ideal situation
with professional installation
Making Assistive Technology Available ...
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

A federal civil rights law prohibiting
discrimination on the basis of
disability.
Became law in 1990 (25 years
ago)
and was amended in 2009.

Title III requires auxiliary aids and
services if doing so would afford an
individual equal access.
Sources of Funding
Cape & Islands United Way
Community Investment Grants
Kelley Foundation, Hyannis
Local Lions Clubs
Sertoma (Service to Mankind) sertoma.org
Mass Commission for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
What Can Hard of Hearing People Do?
Step outside of your comfort zone and tell people you
have a hearing loss. Stop faking/head-bobbing.

Tell people what you need.

You have to let them know you are out there.
Say--“I attended your program and could not hear,” or
leave a card.

Be comfortable with ALD including your hearing aid.
Suggest sites to be looped.

Join the HLAACC Loop Project.

With thanks to
Peter Cook, Falmouth Library
Catherine Shanahan, Shanahan Sound
Juliette Sterkens, Hearing Loss Association of America
In Memory of
Betty Szeberenyi, Looping Advocate
Today's Topics
Better Hearing in a Big Room
Hearing Loss Facts
Need for Assistive Technology
Assistive Technology Overview
Assistive Technology Installation –
Shaun Crossen, Shanahan Sound
What You Can Do – Penny Snow