Assistive listening systems help people hear better by making audio more intelligible. They filter out ambient sound, allowing listeners to hear pure audio directly from the source (e.g., the presenter, teacher, public address system).
Assistive listening devices are required in schools under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), but they aren’t just for students, staff, and campus visitors who are hard of hearing. They can help anyone who has situational hearing loss or wants to block out distractions and focus only on one audio source.
If you’ve ever tried to listen closely to a speaker from the back of a room or had a chatty or fidgety seatmate during a class presentation, you know how challenging and exhausting it can be to hear and understand in those situations.
Other instances when situational hearing loss can occur include listeners unable to see the presenter, a bad sound system, and spillover audio from an adjacent room. In each of these instances, assistive listening can help listeners hear and understand more clearly.
Understanding How Assistive Listening Systems Work
Each assistive listening system features a transmitter that connects to an audio source (such as a microphone, speaker, TV, or smartphone) and transmits audio to receivers.
Receivers vary depending on the type of system. Some systems feature small receivers that listeners borrow from a venue and plug in their own or borrowed headphones or earbuds. Other systems let listeners use their smart devices or compatible wearables as a receiver. Audio is delivered directly to these devices; there is no need to borrow or return any equipment from the venue.
Different Types of Assistive Listening Systems
While the objective of all assistive listening systems is the same, they use different technologies.
Hearing loop systems are designed for listeners who have telecoils (also called t-coils), which are small copper wires, inside their hearing aids. In spaces featuring hearing loops, copper wire runs along the perimeter of the space, usually under the floor. A transmitter sends audio to a driver that creates a magnetic field within the space. If listeners with t-coil-equipped hearing devices are within the field (and the t-coil setting in their device is “on”), audio will be delivered directly to their hearing aids.
Radio frequency (RF)- or FM-based systems transmit audio from a sound source to an antenna. Receivers pick up the signal from the antenna, like a radio picks up a broadcast signal. Users listen via connected headphones or, if they have a t-coil-equipped hearing aid, an integrated neck loop that transmits audio from the receiver to their hearing aid.
Infrared (IR)-based systems transmit venue audio via infrared light to receivers. If receivers are within range of the light, they receive the audio.
Mobile, two-way communication systems feature transceivers (combined transmitter/receiver) that can be used in group settings for assistive listening, to facilitate interpretation, and/or to enable two-way communication.
Audio-over-Wi-Fi-based systems let listeners use their smartphones as receivers. Audio transmits over a venue’s wireless network. Listeners download a free app on their device, select an audio channel, and stream audio to their device. They can listen via wired headphones or stream the audio from their smartphone to Bluetooth-enabled headphones, earbuds, or hearing aids. If they don’t have or prefer not to use a smartphone or other smart device, listeners can borrow a dedicated receiver from the venue.
Auracast assistive listening systems, based on Auracast broadcast audio technology, enable one-to-many broadcasts of venue audio to anyone within range who has a compatible receiving device, such as Auracast-compatible hearing aids, earbuds, headphones, or smartphone.
Making the Most of Assistive Listening Systems
There are many ways assistive listening systems can promote inclusion, enhance engagement, and foster learning in school settings. Schools with existing assistive listening systems may benefit from another complementary system that extends range and offers more versatility.
For example, a school with a hearing loop system in its theater could benefit from the addition of a Wi-Fi-based system that makes it easy for any guest who would like to use assistive listening in the space to do so, regardless of whether they wear hearing aids.
A Wi-Fi-based system also extends audio from the theater to adjacent spaces, such as concessions, hallways, and even outdoor areas. That means parents with young children who grow restless during a performance can step outside with their little one and still enjoy the audio.
Connecting to Clear Audio Is Easy and Seamless
Having a basket of receivers that students can pick up as they enter a classroom, use during a lesson, and return after the class period has ended simplifies the process and can help “normalize” assistive listening devices. Students don’t need to find an office on campus where assistive devices are kept and check out or keep track of equipment. Making devices readily accessible and available to anyone also increases the likelihood that students will use them.
Wi-Fi- and Auracast-based systems provide multiple audio channels and are ideal for multi-room and multi-screen environments like school campuses. Students can select the audio channel that corresponds to the class they’re in or the screen they are viewing. In language classes and situations where interpretation is offered (e.g., back-to-school night, a multi-lingual worship service), students and guests can select the channel offering their preferred language.
Students in shared spaces can access the audio that corresponds with the monitor they are watching or the instructor they are listening to and hear clearly without interference from others in the space. This is especially useful for leveled courses such as math.
School administrators can password-protect audio channels on Wi-Fi-based systems and manage the student experience so students only connect to the audio relevant to them or their classroom. Some systems feature Beacon technology that automatically connects listeners to the correct audio when they enter a space.
Applications for Assistive Listening Extend Beyond Classrooms
Portable, two-way communication systems can be used in classrooms and small-group settings (e.g., reading groups, tutoring sessions) to support assistive listening. Beyond the classroom, these systems are useful on field trips for leading guided tours, for staff members directing school drop-off and pick-up, and in theater environments where show managers need to communicate with musicians, costume assistants, or lighting and sound directors in different locations.
Additional applications for Auracast- and Wi-Fi-based systems that let listeners use their own compatible devices to access public address audio include sporting events in school gymnasiums and stadiums.
Normalize Making Audio More Accessible for Everyone
Assistive listening technology can help overcome challenges to communication, including hearing loss, distance, and noise that hinder inclusion, connection, and learning. It’s time for schools to reconsider the important role assistive listening systems play in education.
Yes, they are required and essential to accommodate the needs of students, educators, and staff who are hard of hearing. But they can also benefit anyone who wants to hear audio clearly. In school settings where the collective aim is to educate, inspire, and encourage students to think critically, ask questions, listen, and share ideas, assistive listening systems have never been more essential.
Shawnee Bond is a regional sales manager at Listen Technologies, a leading provider of advanced wireless listening solutions, www.listentech.com.
