Tim Archer and Mike Shaw
Principals
8867 Forest Park Drive
North Saanich, BC
V8L 5A7
Disability White Paper
PO Box 9936 Stn Prov Gov,
Victoria BC, V8W 9R2
Email:
March 6, 2014
Dear sir or madam,
Re: Personal Supports Consultation for the Disability Whitepaper
Many thanks for the opportunity to participate in the discussion regarding options to reduce barriers and increase accessibility for those who are disabled in British Columbia. The focus of this submission will be on the hard of hearing and our area of expertise, assistive listening devices. It is our view that encouraging the use of assistive listening devices, in particular induction loops, is an easy way to allow the BC Government to meets its goals of being the most progressive place in Canada for people who are hard of hearing and their families.
In our submission, we will address the white paper consultation questions for the personal support topic, provide some background information on hearing loss, explain the technology of induction loops and t-coils, discuss practices from other jurisdictions and share some success stories.
Consultation Questions:
· Why do you think it’s important that we reduce barriers and increase accessibility for people living with disabilities in B.C.?
We believe that all British Columbians deserve an opportunity to live and thrive in their communities. This includes the ability to access services, find and retain employment and contribute to society in general. As many disabilities are linked to an aging population, it is imperative that action be taken now to prepare for the needs of the future.
· What can British Columbians do to welcome the contributions of people with disabilities, and what barriers can we remove?
As our expertise is assisting the hard of hearing, we think that assistive listening devices can allow those individuals to better contribute in BC. Research has found that the hard of hearing are more likely to withdraw from society when they face barriers in communication. As explained below, technology exists that can interface with an individual’s hearing aids to reduce background noise and enable clear communication. This helps the individual directly and allows society to benefit from their ideas, knowledge and skills.
· What personal supports, aids or devices would make it easier forpeople with disabilitiesto make contributions to the community? Whatneeds to be in place?
There are numerous assistive listening devices that can be installed to help the hard of hearing – these include FM systems, infrared systems and induction loop system. We have worked with all of these systems and while each of these options have benefits and challenges, our view is that induction loop systems provide the greatest overall value. We have provided greater information about induction loop systems below.
It is our view that the following conditions need to be in place to maximize the benefits of induction loops:
1. Education – greater understanding of induction loops and T-coils is needed in the hard of hearing community and the general public.
2. Encouragement – businesses should be encouraged to install induction loop systems to allow for greater accessibility by their clients and potential hard of hearing employees.
3. Incentives – while induction loop systems are generally inexpensive, financial incentives are needed to offset any financial burden associated with the installation of the systems.
4. Government leadership – the installation of induction loops in government centres would ‘set the bar’ in Canada.
5. Equity legislation – following in the footsteps of other jurisdictions, BC should consider legislation to require assistive listening systems, such as induction loops, in public buildings and places.
· What wouldB.C. look like as the most progressive place in Canada for people and families living with disabilities?
BC has the opportunity to lead Canada and the rest of North America in assisting the hard of hearing community through the adoption of assistive listening devices. As discussed below, in other parts of the world, assistive listening devices are as common as wheelchair ramps and are required under legislation. We encourage the BC Government to adopt similar measures and make BC a truly accessible province.
Hearing Loss:
Hearing loss is more common than we believe. It is often trivialized and stereotyped as affecting only very old people. But here are a few statistics that really reflect the current situation.
· Hearing loss is one of the fastest growing phenomena related to aging in Canada. In 2002, according to Statistics Canada, more than one million Canadians reported having hearing problems, representing 50% more cases than for people who experience vision problems. In 2012, this number tripled to more than three million Canadians.
· Hearing loss is second only to arthritis as the most common complaint of older adults.
· In 2015, on a global scale, it is estimated that 1.1 billion people will be affected by hearing loss.
· Approximately a third of people affected by hearing loss are at the age of retirement. Furthermore, many hearing-impaired people are still in school or in the work force.
· In Canada, about 6 in every 1,000 newborns have hearing loss. In the neonatal intensive care unit at the CHU Ste-Justine, 4 in 100 babies are born with hearing loss.
There are many different studies and statistics on the subject and the numbers vary, but one point remains the same, the number of people affected by hearing loss is increasing and the impacts on society are great.
Induction Loops and T-Coils:
Today’s digital hearing aids enhance hearing in conversational settings. Yet for many people with hearing loss, the sound becomes unclear in auditoriums or when TV or speakerphone speakers are at a distance, when the context is noisy, or when room acoustics reverberate sound. As background noise is a common feature in many public places, such as financial institutions, grocery stores and pharmacies or government service centres, there remain challenges for the hard of hearing to access many basic services in their communities.
The solution is the installation of induction loop systems into public places. Induction loops can range from small portable and commercial window-counter installations to systems for home TV rooms to larger area systems (Churches, theatres, stadiums, etc.).
When installed, an induction loop magnetically transfers sound from a microphone directly to hearing aids and cochlear implants that have a tiny, inexpensive “telecoil” (T-coil) receiver built in. This improves the clarity of the sound, eliminates background noise and improves privacy. Unlike other systems it does not interfere with other electronic devices and does not use radio frequencies to transmit sound.
Hearing aids with T-coils are common, although most individuals are not aware that their hearing aids have T-coils since, until now, there have been few induction loop systems in Canada. The Hearing Review Products(2009/2010) reported that 126 (69%) of 183 hearing aid models—including all 38 in-the-ear models and 29 of 30 conventional behind-the-ear models—come with T-coils. New model cochlear implants also offer T-coils. The use of T-coils continue to rise as companies, such as Apple, have announced improvements to their products to increase accessibility for the hard of hearing.
Costs for induction loops are lower than many other accessibility building requirements and can range from a few hundred dollars for a small cross-counter installation to a few thousand for an auditorium-type installation. Moreover, hearing loops offer long-term savings from purchasing and maintaining batteries in fewer portable listening units. For the user, the T-coil cost is nominal and typically does not add to the hearing aid price.
Induction loops will work with all hearing aids that have T-coils without any additional hardware. Should an individual not have a T-coil in their hearing aids, or do not have hearing aids, simple and inexpensive headsets can be used with the induction loop.
Examples of other Jurisdictions:
While relatively uncommon in North America, induction loops are extremely prevalent in Europe. In many countries induction loops are viewed as the best available technology to assist those with disabilities and are as common as wheelchair ramps. Some jurisdictions have gone so far as to require the installation of induction loop systems under legislation (UK Equality Act, UK Building Regulations 2010(12), British Standards 8300 – Code of Practice).
Induction loops have been successfully installed in many different places, ranging from drive-thru windows of fast food chain restaurants, to public transit systems and taxi cabs to hospitals and care facilities. They have been shown to improve the quality of life of hard of hearing users in many daily activities. Recently induction loops have been installed in the New York Subway System.
Further, the installation of induction loop systems in boardrooms, training rooms and other places of work has reduced barriers to employment for those hard of hearing.
As a result, while the rest of North America lags behind, BC has the opportunity to be a leader in encouraging the installation of induction loops and can meet its goals of being the most progressive province in Canada.
Early success stories:
Recently, Vancity Credit Union installed induction loop systems in all of their branches. This unprecedented action earned them the 2013 Access and Inclusion Award from the City of Vancouver in November 2013. Vancity’s installation has allowed not only better access for their clients, but also for their hard of hearing employees and has had very positive feedback from the hard of hearing community.
Other BC leaders include the Amica group, which now has induction loops installed at one of their retirement facilities, Sobey’s which has a loop at one of their pharmacies and other local businesses, theatres, and municipal halls.
Conclusion and Recommended Next Steps:
The installation of induction loop systems is an inexpensive solution that can allow for better access to goods and services for the hard of hearing community and also reduce employment barriers to those with hearing disabilities.
We recommend that BC consider similar actions to those of other progressive jurisdictions such as:
· Promoting the public’s understanding of induction loops and T-coil enabled hearing aids;
· Actively encouraging businesses to install induction loops to assist their clients and employees;
· Providing financial incentives to offset costs of installing induction loops;
· Installing induction loops in government service centres, the legislature and ministry boardrooms; and
· Consider drafting legislation similar to the UK Equality Act to eventually require the installation of induction loop systems in key public places.
As Canada’s leaders in assistive listening technology, we would be pleased to further discuss advanced listening systems, including induction loops, at your convenience. We have also included a fact-sheet and references for your information. Please do not hesitate to contact us for further information if you have any questions.
Kind Regards,
Tim Archer and Mike Shaw
Principals
Advanced Listening Systems
References:
Canadian Association of the Deaf - http://www.cad.ca/statistics_on_deaf_canadians.php
City of Vancouver Awards of Excellence honouring Vancity - http://vancouver.ca/your-government/previous-honorees-accessible-city.aspx
Lobe - http://lobe.ca/en/non-classee-en-en/over-3-million-canadians-affected-by-hearing-loss/#.UwvOQF7qKXc
Patently Apple - http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2013/10/apple-to-beef-up-their-iphone-hearing-aid-compatibility-features.html
Statistics Canada – Facts on Hearing Limitations http://canadianaudiology.ca/assets/docs/Facts_on_Hearing_Limitations.pdf
Statistics Canada – Hearing problems among seniors http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/bsolc/olc-cel/olc-cel?catno=82-003-X20040048044&lang=eng
The Hearing Foundation of Canada http://www.thfc.ca/cms/en/KeyStatistics/KeyStatistics.aspx?menuid=87
The Hearing Loss Clinic - http://www.hearingloss.ca/hearing-loss-statistics-demographics/
A non-profit informational website on induction loops - http://www.hearingloop.org/
Advanced Listening Systems Ltd. - http://www.advancedlistening.ca/
Sales: (250) 580 2180
Technical: (250) 857 3003