by Angela Steinhagen

The ALDs amplify and clarify sounds so often also called Personal Amplifiers. Assistive Listening Device (ALDs) is a subset of the Assistive Communication Devices Products and belong to the family of Assistive Devices (Assisted Living Products).

The Assistive Listening Device (ALDs) could definitely assist hearing disabled/ heard of hearing individuals or deaf persons to maintain their independent life functioning or independent communication lifestyle through the hearing assistive products and devices. ALDs aids in one-on-one communication and in listening to music or television viewing or any other source of sounds.

All individuals can benefit from Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs). Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) help in providing personalized, clear, and private listening situation. Not only hearing impaired or heard of hearing/ hearing disabled person can benefit from Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs). Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) can also be used for unique listening environments like theater, religious halls, place of worships, churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, schools, colleges, cafes, office, restaurant and university classrooms, conference hall, zoos, museum, auditoriums or with various sources mp3, iPod, Zune, HDTV, DVD, VCR, multi-language translation, radio, and analog television.

“If have a hearing aids, can I use Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs)? - Yes Definitely!”. Hearing Aids are part of Assistive Listening Devices Family of Products. Certain Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) work together with Hearing Aids. Many of these Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) complement Hearing Aids and Most of them can be used with and without Hearing Aids. Hearing Aids may pose some challenges in a noisy environment or in a conference or meeting where the speaker is within a significant distance from the hearing impaired person. Regardless of price levels; from the least expensive to the most expensive hearing aids devices do not guarantee a person will elect to wear them continuously. For various personal reasons wearing hearing aids could be a challenge for some people who already own one, especially a socially active person.

The New Generation of Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) goes way beyond hearing aids to enable all walks of life from normal people want private listening to even the most severely hearing impaired people to function better in many listening environment. There are two types of Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) or some people like to call it Just “Amplifiers” : Personal Amplifiers or Personal Listening System and FM Systems (Small Area FM System, Tour FM System, Wide Area FM System)

Personal Amplifiers in many situations can be used by hearing impaired person on the body with or without their hearing aids, Eric Greenberg of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan indicated that his 2 years old William Sound Pocket Talker Ultra Personal amplifiers had been an amplifier for his pair of hearing aids. This unit is well designed and very compact to be carried around and allowing him to communicate with everyone of his large law conferences and family events. It was almost impossible for Eric Greenberg to hear clearly in these various situations without his William Sound Pocket Talker Ultra. He bought his unit with the Over the ear Earphone and additional T-Coil for his hearing aids. Jane Flanagan of San Marino, California is also as enthusiastic about her William Sound Pocket Talker Ultra, “It is discreet and super mobile, small like a cigarette box, long battery life with easily available AAA battery. It is so powerful even sometime she finally decided to get another spare unit to put in her car. Jane relied on it for almost any communication situations from one-on-one, small bridge group, telephone conversation, listening to television show in the doctor’s office. Both Mr. Greenberg and Ms. Flanagan agreed that in addition to the super discreet and the portable features the William Sound Pocket Talker Ultra reduce the environment background noises significantly and enable them to customize to various communication situations.

On more than personal level and larger scale “FM Systems” have the ability to increase volume of a particular sound source e.g.; PA system, lecturer, teacher, preacher, tour guide, MP3, iPOD, Zune, HDTV, etc. and bring the sound directly to an individual without also increasing the amount of background noises, regardless of the amount of distance between the speaker and the listener or the amount of echoes in existence. One of the largest manufacturer like William Sound produced a wide range of FM System (Small Area FM System, Tour FM System, Wide Area FM System) which benefit All People not only the hearing Impaired. For example in a typical conference hall environment the noise level nearly as loud as the voice of the public speaker, making it difficult for people with hearing loss or hearing impaired to hear and understand well. It may also be true for people with normal hearing. With the FM Systems the public speaker voice can be heard much better because it improves the distance factors, background noise, and echoes conditions. For example the Toronto Science Center has an FM Systems from William Sounds that consists of Auditory Trainers or Receivers or Pocket Talkers or Personal Listening Devices and the transmitter or broadcasting units. It works like a small local FM broadcast radio station (except it has its owned assigned frequency or channel). So the speaker wears a clip or headset type microphone that is connected to a body worn transmitter that looks like an iPOD and the listener wears a receiver also look like an iPOD with headphones or earphone or customized ear-mold or induction neck loop (hearing aid compatible) Often the transmitter is also look like an lunch box connected to the source of audio/ video like DVD player or sound system in a larger setting.

Don’t be afraid to ask and try these new Assistive Listening Devices (ALD) technologies. Don’t hesitate to ask for any of these ALDs availability e.g. FM System at some of the ADA compliance public places as they should have this system available for you who need it.

People who benefitted from the Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) Technology are often the great ambassador and introducers of these ALDS to friends, family, and community. They cared the most!