A new venue for our group, the quiet, welcoming community room allowed for set up of our Chapter’s electronic hearing loop system, which along with use of the library’s PA system assured hearing access for all throughout the meeting.
A schedule was tentatively outlined for the remainder of 2025 with a Summer picnic, a September planning meeting, a Fall public program to be presented by area hearing professionals, an outdoor walk event or lunch gathering, and a Holiday gathering.
Attendees took Chapter brochures and informative tips sheets to share with others in the community in a thrust to share information and invite new members.
Additional initiatives include updating the website list of area venues with Hearing Assistance technology. Working with Proctors Collaborative to highlight their systems is a goal as well.
Technology items discussed: Microsoft Windows 11 built-in captioning capability (works even without internet access). https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/learning-center/choose-best-caption-settings
Other phone apps were discussed briefly.
The advantages of Telecoil inclusion in hearing aids was discussed vs anticipation of Auracast hearing access, likely not to be readily available in our area for several years in the future. The many area FM and Infrared systems and “looped” venues can be accessed via T-coil using neck loop or other streaming devices (Mini Mic).
Use of technology related to hearing access is a vital service provided by these gatherings and always elicits much interest.
