Becoming vaccinated in the Seattle area just got easier, less bewildering—and much more hearing-friendly.

At the City of Seattle’s mass vaccination site at Lumen Field, a portable hearing loop awaits people with hearing loss at each entry point. A staff member will roll the loop cart along with you all the way through the process so you can hear everywhere you go.

Knowledgeable assistants are available to help, which is especially wonderful if you’re new to hearing loops—and encouraging and comforting even if you’re familiar with them. Sign language interpreters are also available. No appointments are necessary, so please feel free to drop in.

When you arrive, ask for hearing assistance via a hearing loop. Then, ask the staff member to hold the microphone close, and remember to turn your hearing aid or CI to the telecoil or “T” setting to connect to the loop.

The pandemic has hit the hearing loss community hard. Masks make speech reading impossible, and social distancing and glass barriers diminish speech understanding. Very few vaccine locations had captions, loops, or tablets available for people who need communication access.

We’re thrilled that the City of Seattle once again leads the way for hearing loops and communication access. We’re sending a humungous, warm thank you to Deborah Witmer, Autumn Harris, Holly Delcambre, and all the wonderful folks who made hearing-friendly vaccines a reality.