Tag Archives: communication access

Caring About Others Leads to New Hearing Loop

Loop Minnesota Posted on by

Picture by Justin Burwinkel

 

This is not only a story about the installation of a new hearing loop in a Church in Minnesota. It is a story about communication access.  It is a story about empathy and advocacy without having a need oneself. But mostly, it is a story of how caring about others leads to a new Minnesota Hearing Loop.

Not understanding speech-in-noise can be very isolating and life-limiting for those with hearing loss. This is one of the major reasons why people no longer attend book clubs, church services and social club meetings.  As one woman put it:” There is nothing in it for me anymore. I can’t understand a word.” This is why hearing loops are important. So far, this is the only assistive listening technology that helps improve the understanding of speech in background sound.

Hear Clearly at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Jordan, Mn

Some weeks ago, the Church became the proud owner of a new hearing loop. It has excellent sound quality and now ALL can hear!  A parishioner saw the need for including people with hearing challenges in the Church community. He suggested the installation of a hearing loop, advocated for it and saw the project through to completion with the help of an equally devoted friend. They deserve double kudos as neither of them has hearing loss. How cool is that – thinking and caring about others and advocating for those who would be excluded!

That said, many thanks also go to those who supported the looping effort and helped fund it. Hearing loops do not install themselves, and they are not free.

And so, the list of hearing loops across Minnesota grows as many people are beginning to appreciate that the time for them to hear clearly in noise is Now – NOT years from now!

In the end, Care about Others! Make venues accessible with hearing loops and help people find those loops! List them on the Access Page of Google Maps. Announce them on Website pages and mention them in any publications, such as Newsletters and Bulletins. Tell the world that you care about communication access and quality-of-life for ALL.

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So, where do you want to hear better? Contact us at Loop Minnesota with any questions or loop suggestions?

Loop Minnesota a Finalist for ACG MN BOLD AWARDS

Loop Minnesota Posted on by

Picture courtesy ACG MN BOLD AWARDS

Loop Minnesota is proud to be a candidate for the 2023 Minnesota Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) BOLD Award.  We have moved through the application and vetting phases and are now a finalist in the Not-for-Profit category.

According to the ACG website, “BOLD Awards honors and highlights the innovative and inspirational organizations that make Minnesota great. These awards are designed to honor and recognize innovation, inspirational moves, bold visions and leaders that have made bold moves to positively grow, restructure or enhance their companies for the benefit of all stakeholders.”

 BOLD moves for Loop Minnesota are embedded in our mission. We advocate for Equitable Access to Communication for those with hearing loss. ALL people need access to their communities – stores, businesses, banks, libraries, places of worship etc.

Hearing loss is a communication problem. The biggest challenge is understanding speech in background noise. And so, it is quite BOLD for Loop Minnesota to advocate for accommodation technology on behalf of the roughly 20% of Minnesotans with hearing loss.

For now, and into the future, hearing loops are still the best bet for understanding speech clearly in loud venues – large and small. They include rather than exclude people. Participation beats isolation!

 Even if Loop Minnesota is not chosen, only good can come from being nominated for this award. Our BOLD moves and efforts are recognized. The public exposure and increased visibility are priceless.

At the very least, ACG member corporations and businesses will learn about the need to make businesses and venues accessible to people with hearing challenges – an untapped population of potential clients, customers, members, sponsors etc.

The recognition of assistive listening advantages might make Loops for Daily Living – one of our BOLD goals –a dream come true. Hearing Loop signs everywhere – at bank teller windows, ticket counters, information desks, store check-out counters and customer service windows! What a wonderful, accessible world this would be!

Regardless of the outcome, Loop Minnesota will BOLDLY proceed with its mission to ease communication and preserve quality of life for Minnesotans with hearing loss.

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To join us as a member or for more information, Contact Us – Loop Minnesota 

COVID-19? Need for Hearing Loops & T-coils

Loop Minnesota Posted on by

COVID-19? Need for Hearing Loops & T-coils

Growing communications challenges

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, communication challenges of all kinds have turned into an acute issue for those with hearing loss. Speechreading (lipreading) has become impossible during these times of social distancing, masked outings and muffled conversations. Being talked to through plastic or glass partitions contributes to the further dulling of sounds.

As society gradually reopens ever so hesitantly, continued distancing and mask requirements will remain in effect and so will the communication hurdles. Sitting up front, close to the speaker is a thing of the past. “Up close” is a lot further back these days.

Now is the time to advocate for communication access

Wouldn’t it be nice to connect via telecoil or T-coil to hearing loops installed at bank and pharmacy windows, at information desks, in class rooms, libraries, places of worship and in health facilities? Gone would be the background noise and speech would be so much easier to understand – without the struggle, the fatigue and the embarrassment. Hearing loops are especially helpful in large, noisy venues such as convention and meeting rooms.

It is often said that anybody who has ever listened to speech through a correctly installed hearing loop does not want to turn back. As we go forward into a shaky communication future, it is more important than ever for people with hearing loss to get involved and to stand up for communication access. Let’s not be left out – again!

Visit this website and learn about it

The problem is that many people do not know much – or anything at all -about this technology. Non-proprietary hearing loops are different from proprietary, short-distance Bluetooth. A hearing loop is a special electrical wire that is installed throughout or around the area that is to be made accessible.

Telecoils or T-coils are tiny wireless antennas that can be found in cochlear implants, hearing aids and hearing devices large enough to accommodate them. They allow the user to tap into the sound energy carried by the magnetic field that surrounds a hearing loop that is in active service. Together, loops and telecoils act as assistive listening “systems.”

Do your hearing aids have telecoils?

Find out! Now is also the time to ask hearing specialists if the hearing aids that you plan to buy – or have already bought -have telecoils. Most people do not know because they have never told about them. Yet, in order for them to work, the hearing specialist must “activate” the telecoils and tune them to the hearing needs of the client. He/she must also instruct the client on how and where to use them.

The future of access is up to the people

In the end, do people with hearing loss want to be connected and included as communication snags pile up? If yes, it is time to act. Hearing loops do not magically appear. The technology needs advocates and believers who make the case for much-needed accessibility.

And so, what will our communication future look like? As President Abraham Lincoln told us “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” And the time to become “creative” and motivated is now.

Monique Hammond, VP Loop Minnesota

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Also, visit my website: hearing-loss-talk.com. I blog about all sorts of topics related to hearing and hearing loss.