Compliance and Standards for Indiana Hearing Loops
August 27, 2019
Hearing Loops Comply with the New ADA 2010 Revised Law
NOTE: ADA Standards have been revised effective March 15, 2012. Is your venue or business ADA compliant? “This isn’t just about disability rights — it’s about good customer service,” Janice Schacter Lintz, head of the Hearing Access Program, a group in New York promoting the loops
ADA: American Disability Act: Hearing Loops Comply With ADA
ADA Regulations for Titles II and III have been revised. These regulations adopted revised, enforceable accessibility standards called the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design “2010 Standards” or “Standards”. These Standards go in to effect on March 15, 2012. Scoping Requirements for Assistive Listening Devices are set forth in Section 219. Communication Elements and Features for Assistive Listening Devices are outlined in Section 706Hearing Loops clearly conform with ADA requirements for hearing disabilities. ADA Information Line
Feds steps up enforcement of the ADA to protect rights of people with hearing loss
Building Design Important for Hearing Accommodation, Design Considerations: New ADA standards
Effective March 15, 2012, architects and contractors must be aware of design considerations for hearing accommodation.Not only to meet ADA requirements, but accommodation for the huge number of hard of hearing Americans is just good business.
Consideration for hearing loss should be given to any space where the public meets, gets information or needs to be alerted to safety issues. Think public meeting rooms, corporate conference rooms, hotel meeting rooms, dinner theaters, information desks or windows, pharmacy and bank windows, doctor’s offices, ransportation ticket windows, sports venues, senior centers, senior communities, mortuaries, houses of worship, auditoriums, performing arts centers, airports, tour buses, and the list goes on.
Hearing loops can benefit hearing aid users in nearly any situation by allowing a direct sound into the hearing aid through the loop. The “Get in the Hearing Loop” initiative backed by the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) and the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) has spread across our Country to increase accessibility for hard of hearing Americans.
So why design a building to accommodate hearing loss? Because 36 million Americans have hearing loss and that number is growing.Hearing loss is not just a senior citizen issue – only 1/3 of those with hearing loss are over 65.Add in the Baby Boomers and you have 2/3 of Americans with hearing loss.Baby Boomers are active, not afraid to complain when they cannot hear in a venue, embrace technology and want to hear!
Access for physical disabilities is a part of most building codes but hearing accommodation is not. I believe this should be changed as soon as possible.Hearing loss is known as the “invisible disability” but in reality it is the largest disability class in our Country and we must recognize the need for good communication.
A friend was in a Walgreens Pharmacy recently and observed a woman at the window getting a prescription. The pharmacist was telling her that the drug she was getting had 800mg of Tylenol in it and that she was NOT to take any more Tylenol.The woman pulled $80 out of her purse.Do you think we need to ensure effective communication?
Based on the numbers of hard of hearing Americans, hearing loops should certainly be a consideration when planning any new public or private building project. This will only happen through our advocacy to let venues know when we struggle to hear in an environment.