Assistive hearing: Loud and clear Features 18/07/2017 Hurrairah bin Sohail examines the state of hearing assistive systems in Asia Pacific with input from integrators about the technology as well as a look at the support manufacturers need to provide to help them deploy and install these systems.Considerations for the differently abled in commercial environments and spaces is a matter to be taken seriously. It is accepted that all stakeholders involved with a build project need to work together to ensure that the right assistive systems are deployed. Additionally, the provision of assistive systems can also be mandated by laws and regulations set forth by the government and international bodies. When it comes to the provision of assistive hearing systems in Asia, navigating the matter might not be simple or straightforward. Per Persson, director of international sales at Williams Sound, explains: “The regulatory situation surrounding assistive hearing varies widely from country to country in the APAC region. Australia has strong legislation under the Disability Discrimination Act as well as the Building Code of Australia. Singapore has strengthened the regulatory support for assistive listening systems recently with the Code of Accessibility in the Built Environment of 2013. It is the expectation that most public buildings have provisions for a hearing enhancement system. In some other countries in Asia, there are less formal and exact regulations. However, the International Building Code does provide strong support for the provision of assistive listening systems.” Daniel Wong, general manager, Electro- Acoustics Systems (EAS), Singapore, says: “Under Singapore Building and Constriction Authority (BCA) Clause 6.8 [there is provision for assistive hearing services]. Hearing enhancement systems have to be provided for function rooms, halls and auditoriums and also for cinemas, theatres, concert halls, stadiums, shopping complexes, museums, theme parks, purpose-built family amusement centres, sports complexes, public swimming pools, hospitals, clinics, transport stations, interchanges and passenger terminals” Kwong-choi Lam, associate, ELV – HK, Macau & PRC at WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, says: “If you refer to Building Department in Hong Kong, as recommended under Design Manual - Barrier Free Access 2008 for the best practice, ‘an assistive listening system must be available to cover not less than 70% of the floor area of the room or space served by the system. If a system requiring the use of receivers or the like is adopted, a minimum of two receivers should be provided. The number of receivers provided must be not less than one for every fifty persons’. Similarly, under the Universal Design and Technical Requirements issued by Architectural Services Department on Universal Accessibility (UA), an assistive listening system (such as induction loop system) shall be provided in the auditorium.” While regulations may exist in many countries of the Asia Pacific region, they are not always uniform. Persson says: “In some countries, the legislation is vaguely written and too much is open for interpretation. In countries with strong legislation, the regulations make sense and provide good support for the hearing impaired. One concern is that in certain markets, the legislation has been written too narrowly, which may hinder emerging technologies, for example real-time audio via Wi-Fi.” Patrick Leung, vice president of sales and marketing at CAH Professional Sound, Hong Kong, adds: “Though there is recommendation by Building Department [in Hong Kong], it is not easily raised to stakeholder’s attention to properly provide assistive hearing systems. The importance of an assistive hearing system ought to be enhanced to the public.” The question then arises, in the absence of catch-all regulations, how do you convince end- users to provide comprehensive assistive hearing services? Persson says: “There are both carrots and sticks that can be used to convince end-users of the beneï¬ ts of providing assistive hearing. As many as 500 million people world-wide suffer from hearing loss. This means that if a venue is not providing an enjoyable experience for this group, they could be missing out on significant revenue. Providing a good assistive listening system could be a competitive advantage. Making sure that everybody can access the content can also create goodwill. Even in places where regulations are not yet implemented and enforced, an early adoption of systems for hearing assistance means that the venue does not have to worry about potential future repercussions. From the system integrator’s point of view, an assistive listening system is often a small part of the overall project budget and can be an easy add-on.” The situation is made more complex by the fact that there are multiple hearing assistive technologies with induction loops and infrared systems being the most prominent. Selection of the right technology can be tricky. Persson says: “The technology of choice varies from market to market. In Singapore and Hong Kong, induction loop seems to be the technology of choice. Australia was traditionally dominated by induction loop, but in recent years, infrared technology has gained a lot in popularity.” Leung says: “For construction projects, induction loop technology is commonly being used due to the ease of deployment and maintenance while FM or IR technology would be more popular for hearing assistance enhancement projects. Often, hearing assistance system are missing during the design stage and it shows insufficient awareness. Wong says: “The choice depends on venue and requirement. Induction loops are used mainly for new installations where the loop wire can be installed around designated areas. IR is popular with completed projects and larger venues.” There are particular advantages that induction loops offer. Persson says: “For hearing aid users with T-coil, induction loop provides an excellent user experience, since the user receives the signal directly into the hearing aid without needing to borrow any separate receivers. Infrared technology has the advantage that the signal is maintained in the room, making it popular for venues where privacy is important such as courts. Since infrared can provide several channels and audio, it is also ideal in situations where both hearing assistance and interpretation is required. Infrared is a popular choice with many integrators and venues, since it is less complex and more economical to install than induction loops.” Leung says: “Induction loops offer ease of maintenance from the point of view of facility management when comparing it with FM and IR systems. We always suggest the co-existence of both induction loop and FM/ IR systems which accommodates T-coil users and hearing-disabled people without T-coil equipped devices. T-coil equipped devices are not affordable for everyone.” Wong states: “Both have their advantages and disadvantages, for example induction loops are easy to use for hearing impaired (people) wearing hearing aids with T-coil as there is no need to manage the issuing of belt-pack receivers, headsets or neck loops using FM or IR. IR systems offer advantages such as simple installation with no spill to the next room. It has higher quality audio and supports multiple channels for other applications. It is suitable for both non-hearing aid and hearing aid users. Such systems can support both small and large venues.” Lam says: “Consideration of convenience to the people in need is essential. Hearing aid users with T-coil equipped devices could have hearing assistance without additional neck loop devices. Using induction loops would also minimise the management and maintenance of FM or IR receivers.” It also helps that induction loops do not interfere with wireless network bands, which are always at a premium. Persson says: “Induction loops typically do not interfere with wireless technology as it is based on magnetic induction.” Wong adds: “There are no issues with induction loops as the loop cable generates a magnetic field that can be picked up by a hearing aid with T-Coil. There is no concern of interference with other wireless equipment.” While induction loops might be convenient and easy to maintain when compared with infrared technology, they can be tricky to deploy. Lam explains: “The floor conduit for the induction loop wire is usually installed in the concierge or lobby when constructed with steel reinforcing bars and thick stone flooring which makes it more difficult to install, test and commission. In addition, only a few manufacturers support installers with the computer simulation for the loop layout design at an early stage.” Leung says: “I believe Williams Sound is one of the few manufacturers to provide assistance from design stage to deployment stage in our region. They also train distributors to be loop design experts and deliver that knowledge to regional end-users, integrators and consultants. Without the site survey and installation methodology, some integrators may be worried about the difficulties of induction loop installation. We keep explaining to integrators the importance of pre-install site surveys with field metres as well as the appropriate design for different venues and environments.” Manufacturers are aware of the support that installers require. Persson says: “The difficulty of installation and maintenance of induction loops varies widely in Asia. In more developed markets, there are plenty of qualified installers, while this is not the case in markets where induction loop technology has been introduced more recently. As a manufacturer, it is important for the reputation of the technology that it is properly installed and maintained. Therefore, we invest a lot in design assistance and online training classes. Persson continues: “In some APAC markets, there are many highly qualified induction loop installers. In other markets where this is not the case, we train our distributors, so that they can in turn train the local integrators. We also offer online webinars regularly and design support.” In conclusion, Persson says: “I often find when I discuss assistive listening that people are surprised to hear how great a portion of the population suffers from hearing loss. Once AV integrators realise the potential market that is out there, they tend to have a new level of awareness regarding the benefits of assistive listening system – both in terms of the business case, but also realising the opportunity to improve the quality of life for many people.”