Hearing Assistive Technologies (HAT) Presented by

Transcript:Hearing Assistive Technologies (HAT) Presented by:
Hearing Assistive Technologies (HAT) Presented by Lance Ledet Hearing Loss Advocate Deaf Centers of Nevada Understanding Hearing Assistive Technology (HAT) People with hearing loss have difficulty hearing and understanding speech. Despite significant advances in hearing aids and cochlear implants, these devices are frequently not enough to enable users to hear and understand what is being communicated in different settings. Why? Because, for many of us, turning up the volume isn’t enough. Even with the latest technology, hearing aids have a limited effective range, basically amplify almost all sound, and usually can’t separate the background noise from the voices and sounds you want to hear. In addition to noise, distance and environment affect hearing ability. The farther hearing aid microphones are from what you want to hear, the less likely you will be able to hear and understand. Similarly, open areas, bare walls and floors, high ceilings, and floors and walls with many angles all contribute to poor acoustic conditions and what is called reverberation. The good news is that there are hearing assistive technologies (HAT) that can readily enable communities to become more hearing friendly. Short Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG5oKer6PHo&feature=youtu.be Disadvantages of Closed Captioning and other Assistive Listening Devices Captions are not always accurate and can be delayed especially if using real time captioning like Cart. Sometimes the devices don’t work and at the public places of accomodations they scramble to locate a working unit. Batteries often go out and people or workers will leave the units on and drain the batteries. People can drop the devices rendering them useless. Improve Your Life Hearing aids and cochlear implants are often insufficient in public spaces such as auditoriums, places of worship, conference rooms, theaters, concert halls, airports, restaurants, transportation hubs, pharmacy counters, bank teller windows, customer service desks and more. Hearing Assistive Technology (HAT) can dramatically improve the lives of people with hearing loss. Assistive listening systems and devices bridge the gap between you and the sound source by eliminating the effects of distance, background noise, and reverberation. They can bypass challenging acoustics—sending sound directly to users’ ears. The American with Disabilities Act (ADA), adopted in 1990, recognizes the difficulty for people with hearing loss to understand in public places and mandates the requirement for assistive listening technology. In 2010 the rules were amended to require hearing aid compatibility so that people with hearing aids and cochlear implants need not remove their devices.