Getting Started-Hearing Better in Public Places, Part 2

Know Your Signage

The “ear” called the “International Symbol of Access for Hearing Loss” lets you know there is an assistive listening system (hearing loop, FM, or infrared) installed in the room or site/facility, indoors or outdoors.

Assistive Listening Systems are technologies that bring the sound from the microphone directly to a person’s ear, with minimal background noise, giving you clarity. They extend the capabilities of your hearing instruments. One in five people have hearing loss.

Blue sign. At top: International Symbol of Access for Hearing Loss. Bottom, black on white background "switch hearing aid or CI to t-coil or ask for headphones"
Hearing loop signage has a "T" in the lower right corner. Commonly these signs are blue. To use this system with a telecoil, you don't need to borrow any equipment (easy!)
Blue sign. At top: International Symbol of Access for Hearing Loss. Bottom, black lettering on white background "Assistive Listening System: headphones or neckloops are available upon request"
FM and infrared systems will use a similar sign. To use this system with a telecoil, you will need to borrow a receiver and neckloop.

Why Assistive Listening Systems?

Assistive Listening Systems give you direct, clear speech. In many settings, hearing aids are insufficient, because turning up their volume magnifies extraneous noise and reverberation as well as the desired “signal.” Assistive listening systems clarify sound by eliminating the negative effects of distance, noise, and reverberation.

Hearing instruments alone give 4-6 dB SNR; remote microphones 9-14 dB SNR; assistive listening systems give the best SNR of 5-30 dB. About SNR (this website)

What if the Assistive Listening System Doesn’t Work?

  • Talk with the staff person for basic troubleshooting.
  • See troubleshooting and complaints (this website). A complaint is just formal feedback where you can expect to receive a response and hopefully corrective action.

Ask Your Hearing Care Provider About Telecoils

Many people with hearing aids don’t know if their hearing aid has a telecoil or how to use it. Ask your audiologist or hearing instrument specialist if your hearing aid has a telecoil, make sure it’s activated, and ask for instruction in using your telecoil program.

Help Us Raise Public Awareness

You have the right to hear clearly in a public setting. By doing some or all of the following things, you can help those who are not able.

  • Use the assistive listening systems (hearing loops, FM, and infrared).
  • Look for signage.
  • Let others know about your experiences, both positive and constructive. Give feedback, file complaints, write Google Reviews, upload photos of signage to Google Maps (this website).
  • Ask the site/facility put information on their webpage Promoting Your Assistive Listening System, with Checklist (2 pages, pdf)
  • Ask that information about hearing accessibility is included in marketing materials. Example at the bottom of a program or poster, “For those with hearing loss, a hearing loop is available to hear clearly.”
  • Write letters to the editor.
  • Pitch stories to the media.
  • Promote assistive listening through social media.
  • Advocate for assistive listening systems.
  • Actively participate in local, state, and/or national committees for making change.
  • Encourage your friends and family who have hearing loss to do likewise…

What is a Hearing Loop?

Hearing loops consist of a copper wire placed around a room which is connected to a public address or sound system. An electromagnetic field is created that connects to a telecoil in hearing aids, cochlear implants or a telecoil-enabled device such as a streamer. The telecoil allows sound to be transmitted directly from the source to your hearing device, eliminating most of the background noise.

How a hearing aid works: 5 steps

For More Information on Assistive Listening Systems

About the Center for Hearing Access. We’re a national nonprofit advocating for all assistive listening systems for people with hearing loss. Assistive listening systems help people hear more clearly in performing arts venues, libraries, events, government offices, and other spaces. These systems can be life-changing for people with hearing loss and keep them engaged in their communities.

We provide practical handouts, ADA information, videos, templates, tools, and articles to help advocates and sites/facilities create hearing-friendly neighborhoods for everyone. We believe that hearing loops are today’s gold standard for providing easy-to-use, universal hearing access.