Assistive Listening Devices
What Are They?
Assistive Listening Devices ( ALDs) are devices which help patients with mild to severe hearing disabilities, listen to particular or general sounds in varying sound atmospheres with or without hearing aids.
Hearing aids are Assistive Listening Devices but all Assistive Listening Devices are not disability specific. Several ALDs are manufactured by surveillance instrument manufacturers like door alarms and other sound specific alarm security systems. For students with hearing deficiencies, a number of assistive listening devices to help focus on the teacher or lecturer are available. The speaker has a microphone attached to clothing which transmits sound with or without wires to a receiver connected to the student. Many educative ALDs have transmitters that use FM radio waves to transmit sounds to the students. Others use induction loops or electromagnetic waves for transmission of sound. Wall and ceiling mounted amplifiers are also available for transmitting sounds to the hearing impaired in group or education atmospheres. Personal Assistive Listening Devices are also available for assisting as well as ensuring safety for the personal use of those with mild hearing impairment. Different kinds of door and intrusion alarms are available for the security of the patient. Earphones with amplifiers for TV viewing and sound showers that consist of over the head microphones help the hearing impaired watch television without being a nuisance to others. ALDS like telephones with amplifiers telephone usage easy for the hearing impaired. Induction loops are also available to help those who use telecoil fitted hearing aids to communicate through the telephone more effectively. Thus Assistive listening devices help the hearing impaired patient enjoy a physically and socially conscious listening environment.
