Hearing Access
Both the large and small halls now boast decent hearing access for people with hearing impairments. Good quality loudspeakers are in place in both halls, together with a hearing loop for people who have T-switches on the hearing aids or Cochlear implant devices.
Anyone can use these systems simply by turning the equipment on and flicking one switch to direct the sound to the chosen hall. There are two cordless microphones- one is hand held and the other is a lapel microphone. Provided the batteries in the microphones have a decent charge and the mikes are turned on and positioned near enough to the speakers’ mouth, the sound will be well amplified through the speakers and also transmitted through the hearing loop for those able to utilise it.
The story in the church is not so good. Whilst it has a sound system and a hearing loop, neither of them seem to be functioning well enough to deliver adequately to those with the most severe hearing impairments. There are also feedback problems for all of us and issues when we try to run a video embedded into a PowerPoint projection. It is not clear what the solution( s) might be. Advice is currently being sought from the company that provided the hall loudspeakers and associated equipment and the lapel mike for the church.
In the meantime users of the hearing loop in the church are asked to try various seats seeking a place that works best for them and to ensure they have their T-switches turned on. It should be noted that the hearing loop does not work in the choir seats( unless users have their heads positioned to face the floor) or the annexe at the rear of the church- but it should work in the pews.
Creative Commons: https:// www. flickr. com / photos / ninian _ reid / 7932828628 / in / photolist-d5ZPzo-eL7rNv-e9PomR- 9r3CjP-gmiY5f-dCwN1m-9r3C9T-dCwFih-9r3CKe-86kgzH-ArLSy-ehqfJw-7fz4Wf-61nN3i-dQUsHg-as6RP3- o8qR1u-gmj5j9-xCZbh-dCyfGP-9e2ZCQ-f6GBJc-7hDVxg-fcH6Qc-4mgcUp-cFwZXC-9r3D2R-9r6BbE-gmCE6nbMCcXZ-pCYRsM-axQEac-byHxz7-9NBBMn-9NH11D-bMBx4M-8B3PLE-d9MD1s-6hcDhE-9NJAiA-cp4c1QbCWhDp-4gsKCV-i2oSVN-byHxo7-dGry9D-kNvEna-bMEGyp-bMCdyP-bMCdTk
St Margaret ' s News 7 February 2017