letsloopseattle

Captions are now required on all televisions in public spaces across Washington State, thanks to the passage of Washington State Senate Bill 5027.

That means that in public places—think bars, restaurants, lobbies, salons, and transportation hubs–if there are televisions, captions must be turned on as the default. People with hearing loss shouldn’t have to request captions–they should be the default.

There are a few exceptions, such as if a television isn’t caption-capable, or if a another federal or state law exempts the business. But in most cases, captions should be always on.

For more information, please see below for an excellent presentation for businesses and employees from Deborah O’Willow at the Washington State Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH), and a guide from the Washington State Human Rights Commission.

The law takes effect July 25, 2021, and venues have until October 23, 2021 to be in compliance.

Hearing loops will be required at New York and New Jersey airline gates and information counters at airports, bus, rail, and ferry facilities, thanks to updated accessibility guidelines from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Loops are not, at this time, required at ticket or service counters, such as baggage or rental cars.

At airport passenger gates, loops must transmit all audible announcements, unless the loop is required to be in the floor for effectiveness and the installation would compromise the structural integrity of the floor. Loops will be required to adhere to the IEC-60118-4 guidelines.

The new requirements, released in an October 2020 manual, were established in conjunction with disability groups. To view the manual on the Port Authority site, click on Documents, then Supplemental Accessibility Requirements, then Manual.

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.

If you’re advocating for loops in your community, but you’re not sure where to start or you need some help, check out HLAA’s Get in the Hearing Loop program toolkit.

What’s a toolkit? It’s information, brochures, sample letters, presentations, guidelines, and other ways to help you talk to venues, find installers, make sure a loop is done right, promote a loop, and so much more.

If you feel overwhelmed, unsure, or stuck, the toolkit is a wonderful resource to help you.

Watch our social media (@loopseattle, LetsLoopSeattle on Facebook, @githl1, and GetInTheHearingLoop on Feacebook) for examples and explanations of how the toolkit can help you.

Below is a list of toolkit contents. You can find the toolkit here.

Join us and other disability organizations at the Disabilities Legislative Reception on Wednesday, January 22, 2002, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm in the Columbia Room, Legislative Building at the State Capitol in Olympia.

A temporary loop and CART are provided. Note that the loop is temporary and will be in a limited area only—look for a sign, or ask where you should stand so you can hear. If you need further accommodation, contact Emily Heike, eheike@esd.wa.gov.

Here’s a flyer with more information.

Special thanks to Steve Peck at The Washington State Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH) for working so hard to secure hearing access at this event.