This is wonderful news! Find your loop!
What Are Hearing Loops?
Hearing loops are user-friendly assistive listening systems that offer easy, immediate, discreet communication access and universal hearing aid compatibility.
A hearing loop system transmits an audio signal directly into telecoil-enabled hearing devices via a magnetic field, greatly reducing background noise. Most prescription hearing aids and cochlear implants have telecoils, ask your audiologist or hearing instrument specialist about how to use this function.
For people without hearing devices or hearing devices without a telecoil, public venues are required to provide hearing loop receivers and headphones. Watch this video on how hearing loops work.
Here is The Big News! Google Maps Now Includes Hearing Loops.
The new Google Maps feature is good for businesses and entire communities, too. Venues can easily promote their hearing loops and attract more customers, and more people will learn about hearing loss and communication access in their neighborhoods. And all of this combines to make advocating for hearing loops easier.
Globally, you can find hearing loops in theaters, tourist attractions, senior communities, and places of worship. Hearing loops are also appearing in airports, elevators, grocery stores, libraries, and government offices. By improving audio clarity and comprehension in places where it is often difficult to hear, hearing loops help us stay engaged and active.
A Maine Example: Portland Stage!
In Google Maps, find Portland Stage.
Now click on the “About” information (Nonprofit professional theater putting on…) and voila! See that the Portland Stage has a looping installation. See below – the assistive hearing loop is on top of the assessibilty features. Hooray!
Thank you Portland Stage and thank you Google Maps for incorporating this important information!
