Why do we need Assistive
Listening Devices?
While the efficacy of
modern hearing aids has long been established, many hearing aid users will still
experience difficulty hearing in various situations. For these individuals as
well as for individuals who do not wear hearing aids, the properly chosen
assistive listening device
(ALD) can prove invaluable in helping to alleviate these difficulties.
(back to top)
What types of ALDs are there?
ALDs can be
divided into two basic categories,
alerting devices and
communication devices. An
alerting (or alarm) device would indicate that something important is occurring
whereas a communication device would facilitate the reception and understanding
of spoken material.
(back to top)
What types of things can an alerting device tell us?
An
alerting device can tell us that it's time to wake up, there is someone at
the door, the telephone is ringing, the baby is crying or a smoke alarm has gone
off.
(back to top)
What are the different ways an alerting device can tell us
something important is happening?
An
alerting device can indicate that something important is happening by
producing sound, extra loud sound, light, vibration or a combination of some or
all of these.
(back to top)
I have trouble hearing my doorbell but live in apartment
and don't want to get an extra loud bell because this might disturb my
neighbors. What can I do?
A common problem with doorbells is that the bell cannot be heard in a
distant room. There are wireless
doorbell systems in which the sound producing element (or receiver) can be
placed at a location far away from the pushbutton (or transmitter) such as a
bedroom, basement or attic. In addition, it is possible to use multiple
receivers that can produce sound in more than one location at the same time
which can make it possible to hear the doorbell in different locations within
the same house or apartment.
(back to top)
The small battery operated alarm clocks are just not loud
enough for me to hear. What can I do?
Some people use a radio clock set to a loud volume and tuned to a news
station. There are still mechanical alarm clocks available which some people
find easier to hear. There are also extra loud
alarm clocks that can also be used with a
flashing light and/or a bed shaker. In addition, there is a
small battery operated vibrating alarm clock that can be placed under the
pillow and is especially useful for people who travel.
(back to top)
If I use a flashing light for the doorbell, what happens if
I'm in another room when the doorbell rings?
Many flashing light ALDs can also be used with remove receivers. These
receivers can be plugged into other outlets in the house or apartment and have
an outlet into which a lamp or light bulb can be plugged. When the main unit is
activated, the remote units will also be activated causing the lights that
plugged into them to flash. The main unit communicates with the remote units by
sending a high frequency signal over the house AC wiring so that no additional
wiring is required. You can have as many remote units as you need.
(back to top)
If want to have a remote unit flash a light when the phone
or doorbell rings and the light flashes, how do I tell whether my phone is
ringing or there is someone at the door?
The rhythm of the flashing will be very different depending on whether the
telephone is ringing or there is someone at the door so that it is very easy to
tell them apart.
(back to top)
Are there alarm devices that can be used with body worn
receivers?
Body worn receivers are available which will
vibrate and indicate the nature of the alarm condition. In addition, there are
units
specially designed to be used by
people that are deaf-blind.
(back to top)
What are some smoke alarm ALD issues?
Individuals with normal hearing can usually hear a
smoke alarm even when it has gone off in
another room or area of the house so that there is no problem with using
separate and independent smoke alarms. Using separate and independent smoke
alarms that have flashing lights may present a problem if the individual is in
another room and does not see the flashing light. The best type of separate
flashing smoke alarms to use in this case would be those units that have the
capability of being wired in tandem so that if one of them goes off, all of them
will go off so that the flashing can easily be observed no matter where one
happens to be within the house or apartment.
In addition to flashing
lights, there are also smoke detectors with a
built in radio transmitter that will cause a
receiver unit to activate a bed shaker causing it
to vibrate. With
this type
of system, it is possible to use more than one
smoke detector/transmitter so that smoke detection
is available at more than one location.
What types of communication
ALDs are there?
Basically, communication ALDs are used for the
telephone
[and the]
TV, [as well
as for
large areas
such as] the movies, theater, classrooms, and
noisy situations.
(back to top)
I'd like to get a louder telephone - what's out
there?
There are a number of possibilities - you may be
able to make your present telephone louder
(described below). There are also complete
telephones available with
built in
amplification. These usually have other useful
features as well such as a tone control, an extra
loud ring and a flashing light.
(back to top)
What exactly is a T- coil?
A telephone coil is small coil of wire within the
hearing aid activated by a switch on the hearing
aid which allows the hearing aid to pick up the
phone signal directly. It will also prevent
feedback and cuts out surrounding noise when
making a phone call. A telephone whose ear piece
emits a magnetic field that can be easily picked
up by a hearing aid telephone coil is said to be
hearing aid compatible. The telephone coil can
also be used to easily and conveniently enable a
hearing aid to work with various other types of
ALDs.
(back to top)
Can I do anything to make my existing
phone louder?
There is a
portable snap on telephone amplifier which can
be used with virtually any telephone; however, it
may have to be attached and then removed each time
the phone is used so that the phone can hang up
properly. Also available are in-line
telephone amplifiers
which can be used with modular phones (where the
handset can be unplugged and separated from the
desk set) as long as they do not have the dialing
keypad in the handset. These can be attached to
just about any phone and can be left in place.
(back to top)
What about [amplified] cordless
phones?
There are
cordless phones
with built in extra amplification that are
available. In addition, some of them have jacks
that can be used with a hands free accessory. Some
models also have a special jack into which special
accessories such as a neck loop can be plugged
into.
(back to top)
I travel a lot and sometimes have
trouble using local telephones - any suggestions?
Many travelers find the
portable snap on telephone amplifiers very
useful. In addition, this device can also be used
to turn a non hearing aid compatible telephone
into one that is hearing aid compatible.
(back to top)
What is a TTY?
A TTY (or TDD) is a
device by means of which an individual can type to
someone at the other end of the phone line who
also has a TTY and can then read the response that
has been typed back.
(back to top)
What if I want to communicate with a
TTY user but don't have a TTY?
You can go through the national relay system by
means of which you speak to a special relay
operator (called a communication assistant or CA)
who would then type (or relay) the information to
the TTY user. The TTY users typed response is then
read back to the hearing caller. This service is
available throughout the US and is accessed by
dialing a special 1-800 telephone number or by
dialing 711.
(back to top)
No matter how loud I turn up my
amplified phone, I still have a lot of trouble
understanding what is being said - what can I do?
I might consider using a TTY but can't type.
Many hard of hearing people who can no longer use
a conventional telephone are using a TTY with the
relay system in a manner known as voice carry over
or
VCO. When used in this way, the TTY user is
able to read the response of the person at the
other end of the line which is typed by the relay
operator. When it comes time for the TTY user to
respond, he or she can just speak the way they
normally would and their voice is then heard
directly by the party at the other end. There are
VCO/TTY telephones available that are specially
designed to do this.
(back to top)
What about using a cell phone with my
hearing aid?
There can be problems of interference when using a
hearing aid with a telephone coil with a digital
cell phone however, there are certain digital cell
phones that do seem to work well with hearing aids
with T-switches. For those cell phones that do
cause interference, there are accessories
available such as hearing aid compatible hands
free attachments or special neckloop or silhouette
coils that permit the cell phone to be used at
some distance away from the hearing thus reducing
or eliminating this interference.
(back to top)
My TV is not clear and my neighbors
complain that I have it on too loud. What can I
do?
A very simple solution would be the use of a
remote loudspeaker which serves to bring the sound
closer to the listener which will permit lower
volume to be used and result in a clearer sound.
Another option would be the use of a TV radio
which does the same thing but will only work for
transmitted channels numbers two through thirteen
and not for special cable channels. There are also
special
radio frequency
and infrared systems described below.
(back to top)
I wear a hearing aid and have a
particularly difficult time in noise - what can I
do?
Anything that will bring the speaker closer to
your hearing aid will significantly improve this
situation and to this end, an external microphone
used with direct audio input (DAI) is highly
recommended. DAI allows you to plug external
devices into your hearing aid but only if your
hearing aid has this feature.
(back to top)
What if I am 25 feet away from the
speaker?
Because a twenty five foot cord would be
cumbersome, you could use a
personal FM system
which consists of a microphone and small body worn
radio transmitter worn by the speaker and a small
radio receiver that you wear that can either be
used with headphones or with your hearing aid if
your hearing aid has a telephone switch and/or
direct audio input. A personal FM system and
external microphone do essentially the same thing
with the difference being that the FM system gives
you a wireless capability and is a lot more
expensive. [The
Pocketalker Pro would be another option.]
(back to top)
I have an especially hard time
understanding what is being said at the theater or
at a movie. What can I do?
Wireless headsets (either infrared or FM) should
be available at theaters. You can also buy
your own system
to use at home with TV and then take the receiver
with you to the theater or movies but keep in mind
that these systems are not standardized and the
headset you bring with you may not be compatible
with the system in the theater. In addition to
various listening systems, some movie theaters and
some live theater as well are presenting special
performances or showings that are captioned. Also
keep in mind that at the movies, even though you
may be using very good quality equipment, spoken
dialogue may be difficult to understand because of
background music and sound effects.
(back to top)
I know that some TV programs are
captioned so that I can read what is being said
but my TV set does not have this feature. What can
I do?
If you own a TV that does not have a built-in
decoder chip (a set purchased prior to 1994), you
can get an
external decoder which will let you see the
captions. Please keep in mind that although
external decoders are still available, the easiest
and most convenient thing to do might be to just
purchase a new TV set.
(back to top)
I know that some people who wear
hearing aids can use DAI and/or T coils to connect
to external devices but I use a cochlear implant -
what can I do?
There are special cords known as patch cords that
are available which will allow you to connect a
telephone or other device directly to your
cochlear implant processor if it has an external
audio input jack.
(back to top)
Where can I see and try different
ALDs?
There are many centers available. You can check
with your local SHHH chapter for local resources.
(back to top)
Where can I purchase ALDs?
ALDs can be purchased from a number of sources
including
hearing aid
dealers. There are a number of companies that
specialize in this type of equipment most of whom
have excellent catalogues. They may also have very
informative internet web sites through which
devices may be ordered online.
(back to top)
|
|
Login |
Register |
View Cart |
Contact
| 
