The Nanaimo advisory committee on accessibility and inclusiveness heard several options to assist hearing-impaired individuals, recommending City Council implement two of those ideas in a pilot project at City facilities. (Dreamstime)

By Jordan Davidson

hear hear!

Assistive hearing technology pilot project recommended for Nanaimo facilities

Nov 14, 2023 | 9:56 AM

NANAIMO — The Harbour City is looking at different ways to help those with hearing impairments easily navigate City services.

The advisory committee on accessibility and inclusiveness recommended Nanaimo City Council approve a pilot project to install at least two different assistive hearing devices in City facilities during their Wednesday, Nov. 8 meeting.

Director of information technology Kerry Ing said they want to install a hearing loop, or audio loop system, at the front counter of two City facilities for a pilot project, but the technology could also work in bigger rooms.

“In a larger venue, such as maybe council chambers…we’d have an antenna, a copper wire, that would be around the table,” said Ing. “My voice would then be sent from this microphone, amplified through the antenna, and the individuals who would have a T-loop hearing aid, would be able to pick that sound up.”

An induction loop system, or hearing loop, uses a magnetic wireless system to transmit sound direction to a Telecoil (T-coil) embedded within a hearing aid or cochlear implant.

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Ing said hearing loop technology, first invented in 1937, is a low-cost option that allows those with hearing aids to hear a speaker without additional equipment.

It can also be utilized in one-on-one conversations and group settings.

A sign indicating an induction loop system, or hearing loop, is being utilized. (Dreamstime)

The hearing loop technology is used in other B.C. communities like Delta, Surrey, and Coquitlam.

Some downsides to a hearing loop include advances in hearing aid technology, such as incorporating Bluetooth and reductions in size, means not every hearing aid has a T-Coil already in place.

The committee also recommended an adaptive sound field system be installed in the Services and Resource Centre (SARC) boardroom, where different meetings take place.

Ing said an adaptive sound field system is like a “really smart PA system”, to put it plainly, with additional technology amplifying the speaker’s voice.

“My voice, as it’s coming through the speakers, my voice gets sent to a controller, that controller is only looking for speech frequency. Any other ambient noise that would be below or above speech frequency would be tuned out.”

Adaptive sound field systems are already being used in Kamloops, Oak Bay, and Vancouver Island University.

A budget must still be found for the pilot project, with the initiative due at a future finance and audit committee meeting for consideration by councillors.

If funding is approved, staff will determine which locations will install hearing loop systems.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow