letsloopseattle

When it comes to serving the Seattle community, Town Hall Seattle walks–no, runs–the talk. Its venues are fully ADA-accessible, and most events cost just $5 (!), even for events with names as big as Mark Bittman and Tavis Smiley.

And now Town Hall Seattle can be called a bright star in hearing accessibility, too: both its Downstairs and Great Hall have hearing loops.

Thanks to donations and support from 4Culture, the Hearing Loss Association of Washington, a handful of anonymous donors, and Catherine and David Skinner, Town Hall Seattle’s civic, artistic, literary, and cultural events can be heard clearly by people with hearing loss.

And speaking of big names, yes, that’s Katherine Bouton with her hand on her hip in the above pictures. We were thrilled to have her back in Seattle to celebrate the launch of Town Hall’s hearing loops on September 15, 2014. Bouton shared information on her personal journey through hearing loss and chatted onstage with veteran Seattle broadcaster Mike James.

This meaningful event introduced us to many new faces, including City of Seattle Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, posing above with Cheri Perazzoli, bottom left. And many young people brought questions for Bouton about accommodations in their workplaces and elsewhere.

With Town Hall Seattle as a leading light and so many advocates acting a force for change, Washington State will soon lead the country in hearing accessibility. We can’t wait!

All photos courtesy of Miguel Edwards at Miguel Edwards Photography:  http://migueledwardsphotography.com

The Supreme Court of the United States just completed a loop installation! The loop will be ready and waiting when the court resumes its session in October.

Infrared and FM units will also still be available, according to the Court’s September 5, 2014 press release.

Supreme kudos to our justices and administrators for their commitment to hearing accessibility.

Many venues use FM devices as their hearing-assistive technology of choice, and some people with hearing loss benefit from FM system. But for many, like Greg Bawden, FM devices are imperfect and awkward, and loops offer a much better level of comprehension and engagement.

Beginning with nothing, not even a PA!

Greg Bawden, HLA-WA president, also serves on the board of the Riverview School District.

As a member of the Riverview School District, Greg attended board meetings without any assisitive listening devices at all in mid-2012, so understanding dialogue was not easy for him. “I can hear someone next to me (or ideally in front of me) but if they are further than a few feet out, I have trouble understanding what they say.  And my hearing loss (and my ability to distinguish words in speech) varies considerably day to day,” he explained via email. “So the first few board meetings were very hard.”

Next comes FM

The district then connected the PA and FM systems, which helped somewhat when Greg connected the FM receiver to his hearing aid streamer. But he still struggled to adjust both devices to find the sweet spot, where he could hear clearly without being overwhelmed with distorted sound from the PA. Connecting the FM receiver to a neck loop improved things yet again, but if he turned his head while wearing the neck loop, the orientation of the T-coil would change, and the sound would drop out.

Finally, a loop—and better hearing

Finally, Greg drew on years of solid relationships and the professionalism of the district to make the loop installation happen. Greg told us he appreciates the district’s commitment to working with him every step of the way. Since most of the district’s projects had come in under estimates, the loop was ultimately paid for under the bond. The loop was so affordable, though, Greg believes operations funding could have covered it, if needed.

Yet despite the relatively low cost, the loop has made a huge difference for Greg. “The loop has made it MUCH easier for me to participate in regular board meetings,” he wrote us.

Thanks to Greg Bawden and the Riverview School District for their advocacy. If you’d like to advocate for hearing loops in your school district, email us at loopseattle@gmail.com.

Contacta is offering loop training September 9-11, 2014 in Portland, Oregon. This affordable ($129 a day!) and thorough training expands audio techs’ business lines and strengthens the skills of current loop installers.

Visit Contacta’s website for more information or to sign up. Be a part of changing the lives of people with hearing loss by learning this growing technology.

We couldn’t be more excited to announce the loop installation–going on even as we write–at Town Hall Seattle and the event to launch it: Katherine Bouton.

Katherine Bouton reads at the Bellevue Arts Museum with CART Captioning behind her in 2013.

On September 15, 2014, 7:30 pm, Bouton returns to Town Hall Seattle, this time to launch the permanent loop in Town Hall’s Great Hall. Bouton will also share how she found a new life after her hearing loss, and local broadcaster Mike James will interview her.

Please visit Town Hall Seattle for tickets, which are only $5. CART and ASL will also be provided by HLA-WA.

If you’d like to organize a bus or group tour, please let us know.

For more information about Bouton and her last visit to us, in which she used a temporary loop, check out our blog post.  And pick up a copy of her first book (we hear she’s working on another one), Shouting Won’t Help: Why 50 million Americans and I Can’t Hear You.