Unit 11 - HAT & CI

HAT

• refers to “Hearing Assistive Technology”

• devices, programs, and services that can be used by HOH/Deaf individuals to help them live independently

3 categories of HAT

• Listening technology

  • ex: FM system, amplified telephone

• Alerting technology

  • ex: house lighting rewires, vibrating bed alarms, strobe light fire alarm

• Telecommunication technology

  • ex: TTY, Text pager, tv’s w/ captioning chips installed (or really literally anything with captions)

Listening Technology

1. Can be thought of as “binoculars” for the ears; they help make sounds louder and/or clearer, if implemented correctly.

2. Consists of two categories:

   1. Assistive listening devices (moreso case-by-case basis use)

   2. Assistive listening systems (moreso in use for repeated use/encounters over time or with multiple people at once)

Assistive Listening Devices

1. catch: catch sound as clearly/directly as possible (using a microphone/audio feed)

2. carry: carry sound to a receiver using some kind of transmission (infrared light waves, radio waves, induction, wire)

3. couple: couple receiver to hearing device/ear (via neckloop, headphones, earbuds, etc.)

Common ALDs

• hearing aids

• portable amplifiers

• cochlear implants

Hearing aids

• can be worn behind/in the ear, canal hearing aids, or body worn hearing aids

• COST: $300 - $5K

Portable Amplifiers

• allows user to place a microphone near the source of sound, then transmit that sound to headphones, earbuds, neckloop, or directly to a hearing aid

  • Pocket Talker

  • SounDirector

  • SoundWizard

• COST: $180 - $250

cochlear implants

• controversial!!!!

  • If effective, can give the user a useful understanding of environmental sounds around them and speech.

  • Using a magnetic implant under skin/in your head (invasive surgery required), it directly stimulates the nerves in the cochlea with electrical impulses.

    • post-implantation therapy required

    • surgical risks

      • No MRIs

      • Infection

      • Sometimes ineffective due to anatomy, residual hearing, technical complications, and/or the user dislikes it (highly individual)

      • also metallic sounding

Assistive Listening Systems

• larger-scale devices in one location, sometimes permanently installed, so that that may be accessed repeatedly on an as-needed basis.

• Typically requires presenter/speaker to speak into a microphone

• Also typically requires Deaf/HOH user to have compatible ALDs (such as headset, CI, or hearing aid)

3 kinds of ALSs

1. infrared systems (transmits via infrared light)

2. FM system (transmits via radio waves)

3. inductive/audio loop system (transmits via magnetic field)

Alerting technology

indicate the presence of environmental noise that can alert Deaf to said noise (ie. doorbell, baby crying, text/phone call, alarms, security, etc).

3 main ways to alert (alerting technology)

1. amplified sound

2. flashing lights

3. vibration