News
Greater Options for the Hearing Impaired
Susan Barksdale
January 17, 2007
"Can you hear me now?"
St. George's Helps to Improve Access for the Hearing Impaired
by the Rev. Philip Schaffner
In the fall of 2006, St. George’s in St. Louis Park, installed a new technology to dramatically improve the accessibility of worship to the hearing impaired. The new “induction loop” has made it possible for members and guests with severe hearing loss to fully participate in worship.
St. George’s has long had an FM audio assist system for members and guests with hearing loss. Although the FM system works for many, it does not meet all of the needs for hearing assistance. In order to augment the system, St. George’s looked to this relatively new technology .
The induction loop technology consists of a converter and continuous wire that loops around the entire sanctuary. Within the loop, a magnetic field is created, and individuals with hearing aids equipped with a “T” setting (short for “Telecoil”) can pick up the signal. Roughly half of all hearing aids today and almost all cochlear implants have the technology to pick up an induction loop signal.
St. George’s is one of the first churches in the Twin Cities to implement this technology. However, induction loops are widely used in the UK and elsewhere. The induction loop has already had a dramatic impact for several members of the parish who can now fully participate in worship after years of not hearing readings and missing key parts of sermons.
FREE grant for an induction loop at your church!
Thanks to an anonymous donor, St. George’s is pleased to announce a grant of $1,000 available to another church interested in installing an induction loop. Anyone interested in taking advantage of this grant should call the Rev. Philip Schaffner at 651-470-2092.
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