An OASIS of Sound
Albuquerque OASIS members with hearing loss now have the opportunity to enjoy our classes through the installation of a “hearing loop” in our Macy's classroom.
Hearing loops are the assistive listening system of choice for most hearing aid users. The loops utilize what is called a telecoil in hearing aids that negates the need to remove the devices and don a borrowed headset in order to hear the speaker. By simply pushing the telecoil button on their hearing aids users can block out much of the background sound while wirelessly connecting to an electromagnetic signal carrying the the speaker’s voice to their hearing aids for dramatically improved clarity.
The OASIS hearing loop was donated and installed by Mike Langner, a retired Albuquerque radio engineer and looping aficionado who is a member of the Loop New Mexico Committee with help from Samuel Castillo of the nonprofit assistive devices retailer ATS Resources. Falling back on his radio experience, Langner included a wide-range automatic volume control circuit with the installation to compensate for speakers with overly loud or soft voices in order to provide the best possible speech clarity for those listening through the telecoils of their hearing aids. Upon hearing sound from a loop using the telecoils in her hearing aids for the very first time, OASIS regular Barbara Katz said, “Wow! That’s amazing!”