Funeral Homes, Memorial Services
We attend funerals or memorials services to remember and honor the deceased, and to connect with family and friends. Listening to (and being able to hear) the life stories is a key to feeling that connection, ultimately helping us adjust to the loss of a friend or family member. Missing those stories, because of the inability to hear, deepens the loss and can leave us feeling frustrated and incomplete. Having reliable assistive listening tools so we can get the full experience brings us all closer in grief.
Possible Assistive Listening System Locations
These systems should be available during a variety of settings, to provide accommodations for individuals with hearing loss.
- Rooms (funeral homes, mortuaries, chapels, sanctuaries, gardens, places of worship): hearing loop, FM system, infrared system
- Small conference rooms or individual counseling: portable hearing loop or portable FM system
- Graveside: portable hearing loop or portable FM System
Resources
- Paragraph template and checklist. Describe your assistive listening system on your webpage. Promoting Your Assistive Listening System, with Checklist by the Center for Hearing Access (2 pages, pdf)
- National Funeral Directors Association–Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance Summary (website)
- Ohio Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors-Disability Inclusion Access – ADA (website)
- Utah State Office of Rehabilitation-A Guide For Funeral Homes Assisting Family Members Who Have Hearing Loss (3 pages, pdf)
- Zotero online library of articles, websites, and examples (website)