Hearing Loop or T-Coil
Community members with hearing loss often feel frustrated and left out at graduations, theater productions, community meetings, and music performances. In order to ensure that everyone fully enjoys their experience, Kulm Public School installed a t-coil loop, also called a hearing loop, in their new gymnasium.
A hearing loop is extremely helpful for anyone who uses a hearing aid. In technical terms, a hearing induction loop system transmits magnetic energy to the telecoil-equipped hearing aid or cochlear implant. In layman’s terms, a t-coil turns the hearing aid into a customized in-the-ear loudspeaker with a direct feed from the microphone. The user must be wearing a hearing aid that works with the t-coil technology, but there is no price difference, and many hearing aids even come with t-coil as a standard feature.
Dr. Ed Malazdrewicz is an audiologist with Professional Hearing Services, which has offices in Minot, Williston and Bismarck. In his opinion, this technology would be a great advantage in our gym. “Looping is huge right now,” he said. “We will see more and more of it, and we, as audiologists, will encourage more and more of it, because it makes such a profound difference in our patients’ experiences.” In fact, the Ann Nicole Nelson Hall at Minot Statue University recently installed a hearing loop in their performance hall in order to allow more patrons to enjoy their events.
I asked Dr. Malazdrewicz if t-coil technology would turn digital in the near future, like so many other things have. Without hesitation, he said, “No. Even the newest digital hearing aids come standard with t-coil technology.” There is bluetooth available in some hearing aids, but it does not work on a large scale – only for one-on-one conversations – and it is very expensive.
Kulm Baptist Church and Zion Lutheran Church are two of the few churches in the state to have t-coil technology, and congregants with t-coil hearing aids have found it to be very beneficial. Bob Smith, a member of Kulm Baptist, said, “Even with my hearing aid, it would be impossible for me to hear anything if we didn’t have t-coil at the church.”
At a sports game, often the background noise and cheers are really part of the experience, but when attending other functions, KPS wants to ensure that everyone enjoys the experience. Even though students with hearing difficulties would benefit as well, Superintendent Tami Kramlich emphasized that the hearing loop is another example of how the school board and administrators hope the school will function. “The school is a community resource,” she said, “so if this will allow it to be more useful to the community, then we want to move forward with it.”
Below is a video discussing some of the advantages of a t-coil.
A hearing loop is extremely helpful for anyone who uses a hearing aid. In technical terms, a hearing induction loop system transmits magnetic energy to the telecoil-equipped hearing aid or cochlear implant. In layman’s terms, a t-coil turns the hearing aid into a customized in-the-ear loudspeaker with a direct feed from the microphone. The user must be wearing a hearing aid that works with the t-coil technology, but there is no price difference, and many hearing aids even come with t-coil as a standard feature.
Dr. Ed Malazdrewicz is an audiologist with Professional Hearing Services, which has offices in Minot, Williston and Bismarck. In his opinion, this technology would be a great advantage in our gym. “Looping is huge right now,” he said. “We will see more and more of it, and we, as audiologists, will encourage more and more of it, because it makes such a profound difference in our patients’ experiences.” In fact, the Ann Nicole Nelson Hall at Minot Statue University recently installed a hearing loop in their performance hall in order to allow more patrons to enjoy their events.
I asked Dr. Malazdrewicz if t-coil technology would turn digital in the near future, like so many other things have. Without hesitation, he said, “No. Even the newest digital hearing aids come standard with t-coil technology.” There is bluetooth available in some hearing aids, but it does not work on a large scale – only for one-on-one conversations – and it is very expensive.
Kulm Baptist Church and Zion Lutheran Church are two of the few churches in the state to have t-coil technology, and congregants with t-coil hearing aids have found it to be very beneficial. Bob Smith, a member of Kulm Baptist, said, “Even with my hearing aid, it would be impossible for me to hear anything if we didn’t have t-coil at the church.”
At a sports game, often the background noise and cheers are really part of the experience, but when attending other functions, KPS wants to ensure that everyone enjoys the experience. Even though students with hearing difficulties would benefit as well, Superintendent Tami Kramlich emphasized that the hearing loop is another example of how the school board and administrators hope the school will function. “The school is a community resource,” she said, “so if this will allow it to be more useful to the community, then we want to move forward with it.”
Below is a video discussing some of the advantages of a t-coil.