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Looking to the future, there is talk of T-coils that automatically
activate when information is being transmitted to them (but
with an off switch, of course), of miniaturized T-coils for
smaller hearing aids, and of exciting applications in other
environments.
Most telephones now transmit to T-coils, enabling some improvement
in listening, especially in noisy environments (because other
noise is minimized if the hearing aid's mike is shut off).
But listening improves far more when telephone sound is broadcast
to two ears. In 1979, 27 percent of people purchased
hearing aids for both ears, as did 68 percent in 2000. As
glasses long ago supplanted monocles, so binaural hearing
aids are winning the day. All the better to hear you with,
my dear. So why not use both hearing aids when talking on
the phone?
By also patching telephone output into a home TV loop system,
people can enjoy dramatically increased comprehension--with
personalized sound broadcast to both ears--while talking naturally
on the phone, without any clumsy wires or headsets. This works
beautifully. Radio Shack offers a patch
cord for recording conversations that can, instead,
be patched into a home or office loop amplifier. Happily,
it has an on/off switch, so one needn't eavesdrop on others'
conversations while watching TV.
Thanks to his office loop system,
David Myers listens to a voice mail message broadcast
by his hearing aids.
Loop technology similarly has potential office applications.
In individual offices, phone and computer audio output could
broadcast binaurally. In large conference rooms, mikes in
or on tables could broadcast through a room loop system to
attendees with hearing loss. Australian hard of hearing Prime
Minister John Howard has his cabinet table looped.
A number of individuals have also looped their cars. They
have wired both a dashboard microphone and radio output through
an under-the-seat amplifier and out to wiring that surrounds
passengers. The result is improved clarity of conversation
for the hard of hearing, while still enabling them to hear
sirens and horns, which are picked up by the microphone. Oval
Window markets a car kit for the USA, as does
Pure
Direct Sound and Echo
through its UK distributor. All new London
taxis must be looped, as will all existing taxis by
2007.
As it happens, two of the world's three largest office furniture
manufacturers and one of the world's leading suppliers of
automotive interiors are located in Holland-Zeeland, Michigan,
which is en route to becoming the nation's pioneering fully
looped community. These companies are aware of loop technology
and contemplating its future applications.
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