(PP315) Hearing Loops: Ancient Solution for New Times

The hearing loop is an Assistive Devices (AAD) less known in Brazil and hard to access. The present study is slipt into two stages. In the first stage, a hearing loop prototype was designed and the second part will be intended to analyze the benefit of the hearing loop for hearing aid users. For validation will be applied gratification questionnaires to hearing aid users and tests of speech perception in noise to verify the benefit of the hearing loop.

Summary: 

Rationale: Assistive Devices (AAD) are products, instruments, or equipment designed to improve the functionality of hearing aids devices for people with hearing impairment (HI). Among these assistive equipment, the hearing loop has been used for a long time in countries such as the United States of America (https://www.hearingloop.org/index.htm) and in countries in Europe. In Brazil, this technology is not available for sale and is not present in public spaces either.

According to the Brazilian Law of Inclusion (Law No. 13,146, of 7/6/2015) accessibility is a right of any person, with or without disabilities. It means everybody is allowed to have free access to places, information, services, or products. Competitive noises are an obstacle for hearing aid users to access public spaces, therefore the hearing loop is a mechanism that promotes social inclusion.

Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of masks, social distance, and other health heeds for example the use of plastic glass in attending the public became mandatory to reduce the levels of transmission of the virus. Studies have already shown the communicative deficits caused by the opacity of the mask. It is prejudicial for people with and without HI, with a reduction in voice intensity and the absence of visual cues that contribute to speech understanding (Thibodeau et al., 2021).

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the benefit of the hearing loop for the hearing aid user in a public environment.

Design: The study is segmented into two stages: Stage 1: develop of a hearing loop prototype in partnership with FATEC-Faculty of Technology of Bauru. Stage 2: Tests for measuring speech perception in noise for hearing aid users with and without the use of a hearing loop in a reception of a Hearing Health Service. The Assistive Technology Validation Protocol (ATV) will be used (Morris and Thibodeau, 2018).

Results: The prototype of the hearing loop developed will be presented and the positive impact on speech perception in noise of people using hearing aids when using this equipment will be discussed.

Conclusion: It is expected to contribute to the spread of the use of this equipment in public and private environments, providing another option for hearing accessibility for people with HI.