When a patient is initially diagnosed with hearing loss, hearing aids are often the recommended treatment option. Most believe that hearing aids will make sounds louder for them but don’t fully understand the way modern devices operate.  How exactly does a hearing aid work? And what else can it do in today’s world of artificial intelligence, advanced sensors, and connectivity?
      The capabilities of digital hearing aids have made significant advancements in recent years, especially when compared to the days when only analog hearing aids were available.
     Analog hearing aids had just a few parameters that could be changed, such as volume and amplification strength at higher or lower frequencies. Generally, their primary function was to make sounds louder. The main problem with these hearing aids was that they also increased the volume of sounds that people did not want to hear, such as background noise.
      Like an analog device, a digital hearing aid consists of a microphone, amplifier, and speaker. The major difference between digital and analog is that a digital device is programmed in fine detail based on a patient’s hearing test and provides a different amount of amplification at individual frequencies. A digital hearing aid can tell the difference between soft, medium, and loud sounds as well as detect different environments. Therefore, a digital hearing aid will adjust automatically, depending on the input it is receiving. These hearing aids are able to differentiate between a quiet environment, speech in noise, speech in the car, echo, music, etc. The adjustments create a more natural and enjoyable listening experience for the user.
      We know that hearing aids assist in communication and in hearing environmental sounds, but now they can do so much more. Many patients are surprised to learn that today’s hearing aid technology has Bluetooth connectivity options that replace the need for earbuds or headphones. Hearing aids are now able to connect to compatible cell phones and other wireless devices to stream phone calls, music, audio books, and podcasts via Bluetooth. Many individuals are using hearing aids to stream virtual meetings and television programs. Users can even adjust their hearing aids via an app on a smart phone.
       The newest technological advancement is combining hearing aid technology with artificial intelligence (AI). Artificial intelligence allows hearing aids to learn and make decisions based on the input they receive. Hearing aid manufacturers are offering hearing aids that continuously learn a patient’s listening environments to ease listening effort and help improve speech understanding in background noise. Some hearing aids can send alerts to designated contacts if a patient experiences a fall, and some can track step counts and heart rates and monitor physical activity. One hearing aid manufacturer offers Google translate, which can automatically translate 27 languages in real time.
      Hearing aids have come a long way from the days of making everything louder. Users are now able to wear one electronic device that can address a diverse range of needs. Not only are they able to hear and communicate more effectively but they can also find enjoyment in using advanced technology in almost every aspect of life.
 
Natalie Watts, Au.D.
Audiologist II
Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
University of Pennsylvania Health Systems

 

     Inclusion in the Arts
 

     I have learned a great deal from friends and colleagues in the Hearing Loss Association of America, specifically the Chester County and All Generations chapters.  I first connected with this group while working to expand inclusive accommodations for the theater where I had previously been employed. My colleagues and I wanted to expand our welcome and accommodations for the productions on our mainstage.  Our first joint effort was promoting the growth of open captioning capacity and then later introducing Smart Caption Glasses for theater goers with hearing loss.  See the related story in a 2019 Hearsay article at     tinyurl.com/HearSay2019-2
     Prior to the introduction of expanded captioning or the Smart Caption Glasses, we embarked on an educational process to produce our first sensory friendly production (which we now refer to as “relaxed”) a number of years ago. These inclusive offerings were then built with the needs and experiences of individuals with disabilities at the center. For the relaxed performance, we engaged individuals with autism and with sensory processing disorder in order to better understand and prioritize their needs in the making of the events. With our very first foray into this effort, we received an overwhelming response from patrons and community members - those who could attend and others who wished for more offerings - and we were therefore eager to see the work proliferate. We formed a cohort of area theatres and collaborated with celebrated occupational therapy professor Roger Ideishi to bring these inclusive performances to the Philadelphia arts community and tri-state region. Ultimately, we increased relaxed performances by some 600% from 2014-2018, and the work continues. 

     A relaxed performance essentially involves shifting institutional culture to be intentionally welcoming of patrons in order to enable them to enjoy live theater on their own terms.  Patrons are invited to engage as their fullest selves, whether that means vocalizing, moving throughout the venue, and/or utilizing sensory supports or communication devices, as needed. The introduction of relaxed performances opened my eyes to the massive disconnect between (1) the ambition many arts organizations have to welcome all members of their communities and (2) the lived realities of many individuals with disabilities - including those who are neurodiverse or experience hearing loss or D/deafness - that make those arts experiences inaccessible.

     Lived experience, preferences, and needs are as individual as each of us. It is therefore important to know that arts inclusion is not a one-size-fits-all situation. Having many (and varied) perspectives is useful. The resulting accommodations should also be adjusted to suit individual needs and preferences. 

     Since first launching the Smart Caption Glasses, I have started a new journey with Hedgerow Theatre Company, where we have begun to explore further possibilities with open captioning. Nestled in bucolic Rose Valley in Delaware County, Hedgerow owns and operates an intimate historic grist-mill-turned-theater and is embarking on its 100th anniversary season. 

     We offer a number of inclusive accommodations and will continue to build on those offerings. There is a waiting list for new US sites hoping to employ the Smart Caption Glasses, but when the opportunity arises, Hedgerow will be excited to make that offering a reality for our patrons. In the meantime, we will institute a week of live captioning for each mainstage production and will continue to strategize ways to make our work accessible for the hearing loss and D/deaf communities. Hedgerow will also happily share scripts in advance, offer relaxed performances, and continue to test possibilities for increased access.

     Although I am several years into my journey related to this work, it is clear to me that learning and evolution is ongoing, and we arrive at the best solutions together. Individuals who experience hearing loss or are D/deaf should be central in the devising of solutions for their own arts enjoyment. 

 

Marcie Bramucci is a theatre artist and producer, currently serving as executive artistic director of Hedgerow Theatre Company.  Marcie seeks out opportunities and resources for increased arts access, engagement, and connection within and across communities. She was recently awarded the Kennedy Center’s Leadership Exchange in Arts & Disability “Community Asset” award for her work in arts inclusion.

     PA Walk4Hearing 
 

    So join a team or just come out and walk with us and meet others who also live with hearing loss.  

-Mike Miles

     3 Tiny Bones has been at community events like the Walk4Hearing and Festival of India, where we educate the community through fun activities, raise money, and give out hundreds of earplugs to promote healthy hearing. We have been featured on NBC10, in the TownLively newspaper, and on WWDB-AM’s Empowerment Zone radio. So far, our content has been seen over 250,000 times worldwide!
      We are also fundraising to help underprivileged children with hearing loss get access to assistive technology.  You can donate to help fund our initiatives at www.3tinybones.org/donate.
     For more information, visit www.3tinybones.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. You will find all our content, resources, videos, as well as our interviews and press coverage there. Happy hearing!
 
Yaduraj Choudery is a senior at the Downingtown STEM Academy