Hearing loss is on the rise, and it’s not just among the over-65 demographic. Young people are experiencing noise-induced hearing loss, most likely from an increase in use of personal listening devices at high volume. Some people may not even realize they have hearing loss.
Assistive listening systems can help students hear clearly and understand in challenging listening environments at school. There are many great examples of assistive listening systems being used in campus settings to support better communication in classrooms, broadcast production departments, and school theaters.
Unfortunately, assistive listening systems in academic settings, particularly in higher education environments, often are underutilized because it can be inconvenient for students to obtain devices, or they may feel self-conscious about needing to use them.
Audio over Wi-Fi technology is democratizing assistive listening systems in education settings, and that’s great news for students and educators. With audio over Wi-Fi, users are able to stream live or recorded school audio to their smartphone or other smart device and listen via headphones or earbuds. They can even stream sound directly from their smart device to their Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids.
Sam Nord is vice president of global sales at Listen Technologies, a leading provider of advanced wireless listening solutions for 24 years.
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