letsloopseattle

For our first “Be in The Local Loop” feature, we are highlighting a hearing loop that has been installed at the reception counter for Social and Healthcare Services in Tumwater, Washington.

Visitors who wear hearing aids or cochlear implants (CI) will now be able to use the hearing loop in conjunction with their hearing instrument. The visitor must turn on the telecoil program by pushing a button on their hearing aid or CI. Almost all cochlear implants and 68% of all hearing aids have a telecoil program.

Where is it?

The hearing loop is located at:

DSHS Tumwater Community Services Division, 6860 Capital Blvd., Tumwater, WA 98501

Why is this important? 

Critical information must often be exchanged at the intake counter where background noise can disrupt effective communication. The counter loop operates within a 3-foot range, allowing for privacy between the client and the social services worker.

Many who wear hearing aids or cochlear implants are unaware of the dramatic difference a telecoil and hearing loop can make in their ability to hear. Many do not know if their hearing instrument has a telecoil or if it has been activated by their hearing health professional. Those who do not yet have hearing aids or who don’t have a telecoil, can use the loop by wearing a loop receiver and a headset.

How can I tell it’s looped? 

The counter loop can be easily recognized by the large blue T and ear symbol. This signage indicates hearing aid compatible hearing assistance is available. It is our hope, counter loops will be in use at every pharmacy and bank counter, ER and airport kiosk as well as social service counters. ODHH would like to expand the use of assistive technology throughout DSHS offices statewide. ODHH needs users to provide feedback by filling out a brief survey and mailing it back to ODHH. The survey will be available at the Community Support Office

Take action!

Please share this information with those you know who may have hearing loss. If you know a hard of hearing person who lives in the area, who may be able to utilize this accommodation to apply for benefits, please spread the word. Tell people to try the hearing loop; education is key.

Today, Let’s Loop Seattle is excited to announce that we were mentioned in a New York Times letter to the editor by David Myers, PhD.

Myers’ piece was in response to this article about the struggles of wearing hearing aids. The author explained that when one turns up the volume on her hearing aid in a noisy place, she’s also increasing the volume of all of the background noise. As Dave Myers phrased it, the original article articulated “the difficulty of carving meaning out of noise” for people who wear hearing aids or cochlear implants.

Myers response explains that, there is a way to combat the aforementioned difficulty: hearing loops. Because David Myers (among millions of others across the US) has a telecoil in his hearing aid, “when [he] seek[s] directions at a New York City subway booth, hear[s] a lecture on [his] campus, worship[s] in any of [his] community’s churches… [he] can — with the flip of a switch — turn [his] hearing aids into in-the-ear speakers that broadcast deliciously clear sound.” Of course, this “deliciously clear sound” comes from the hearing loops that are installed in locations throughout the country. By switching his hearing aid to the t-coil setting, clear sound is sent from a microphone, through the loop, into his hearing aid.

Finishing his piece with a list of the various loop movements without the country, Dave Myers makes it clear that no matter where you are, you can advocate for or benefit from loops. Let’s Loop Seattle is thrilled to be included among the list of some of the most successful “Let’s Loop” groups in the country, such as New York City, Michigan, and Arizona. Thanks so much for thinking of us, Dave!

As a deaf or hard of hearing person, it sometimes may seem like local businesses have no idea how to accommodate your hearing loss. Other times, you come across an exceptional salesperson or attendant who does everything he or she can to help you have a positive experience at his establishment.

For both the good experiences and the bad, there’s Deaf Review. This website (created by the fabulous Echo) works just like yelp.com or citysearch.com, but instead of reviewing businesses as a whole, people review businesses for their degree of deaf or hard of hearing friendliness (of course, the food matters too!). Reviewers can rate business on a one to five star scale, and then tag that business with a variety of factors, such as “Accepts Relay Calls” or “Knows ASL.”

Echo explains that the purpose of her website is “bringing awareness to deaf-friendly businesses, and corrective feedback to ‘deaf-challenged’ businesses. Reviewers fit a number of categories: deaf, deaf-blind, hard of hearing (HH), friends/family of the deaf and those with a special interest in creating a deaf-friendly world.” She recently demonstrated her dedication to expanded to the hard of hearing community by adding a “Hearing Loop Installed” tag. So, if you ever attend church at Northlake Unitarian or go to a presentation at the Volney Auditorium, you can write a review about your experience with the hearing loop!

Thanks to Echo for the wonderful website. Although it’s called “Deaf Review,” it is a very useful resource for the hard of hearing community, as well. All people, whether they’re deaf or HoH, need access. Although we achieve that access through different methods (sign, pen and paper, cochlear implants, assistive listening devices, hearing aids etc), we all have the same long term goal: to make Seattle a hearing accessible city.

We are excited to announce that Let’s Loop Seattle will have a booth at the 66th annual ARTSFair, hosted by Bellevue Arts Museum. The fair kicks off on Friday, July 27th and runs through Sunday, July 29th, so you will have all weekend to enjoy over 300 artists, community programs, the celebration of art and creativity, and of course, learning more about Loop technology.

We are honored to be a part of the longest-running fair in downtown Bellevue. Held in conjunction with two other fairs, the Bellevue Festival of the Arts and 6th Street Fair, we know this will be a great opportunity to continue educating the local community on making Bellevue more hearing accessible through the power of Loop technology. With 17% of Americans living with some form of a hearing impairment, the need is greater than ever to spread awareness on the benefits of being “in the loop.”

Let’s Loop Seattle’s booth will be there from the 27th to the 28th. Knowledgable members of the HLA-WA and Let’s Loop Seattle will be there to provide information, fun give-aways, and even a portable loop! We’re stationed between the parking lot and the mall entrance.

As we near the event, we will provide more details of our booth through our Facebook and Twitter, so stay tuned.

Let’s Loop Seattle is excited to announce that the Northlake Unitarian Universalist Church in Kirkland, Washington just got looped! Northlake joins the Covenant Presbyterian Church in Issaquah, the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Port Angeles, and more churches throughout the state at the forefront of the hearing loop movement. To see even more looped locations in Washington, click here.

After attending a service at Northlake two weekends ago, Let’s Loop Seattle has nothing but positive things to say about the loop! Northlake has demonstrated their true dedication to diversity by creating hearing accessibility for all the people of the church. They are making a difference in their community in more ways than one. Let’s Loop Seattle is excited to see both churchgoers and community members at the upcoming orientation…

Let’s Loop Seattle will be holding a dedication/orientation within the next few months for church and community members. Let’s Loop Seattle, HLAA members, loop installers, and maybe even an audiologist will hopefully all be in attendance to help explain the benefits of telecoils in hearing aids. Keep a look out for the official announcement!

We are thrilled to see the loop in more locations in Washington. If you attend a church or community group, encourage your leaders and peers to consider installing a loop in your facility. Hearing accessibility can be the difference between involvement in the community and sitting at home!