While many businesses know they should be considerate towards visible access issues like wheelchair use, hidden disabilities such as hearing impairment are often not given the same attention.
Hearing aids alone are simply not enough for people with hearing impairment. They pick up all sounds in the surrounding area and don’t distinguish speech from background noise, which can make it difficult to easily interact in public spaces.
Assistive listening technologies such as Contact Hearing Loop Systems allow hearing aid wearers hear a sound source directly, cutting out all background noise, and can give experiences in venues such as movie theatres, meeting rooms, conference halls, and places of worship back to those who have been missing out for years.
For retailers, the leisure industry, consumer banking services, and transport operators, there is an obvious business case for enhancing communication in terms of income and reputation.
“Three out of four people with disabilities have walked away from businesses due to a lack of disability awareness and poor service.”
For employers and facilities managers, managing hearing loss is a welfare issue, with those affected 2.5 times more likely to develop depression. Unsupported, employees’ performance may be affected. Their safety may also be compromised if they can’t hear emergency alarms or announcements.
Ultimately, providing assistive listening technology and improving people’s ability to communicate has benefits for everyone concerned.
Topland supplied and installed Contacta hearing loop systems here:
Dubai Municipality Happiness Centers
Dubai Police Academy
IMDAAD
The Dubai Mall Information Desks
Mark & Spencer’s retail The Dubai Mall
Mark & Spencer’s café The Dubai Mall
John the Grocer Al Manara
Slovak Embassy Abu Dhabi
British Embassy Abu Dhabi
New Terminal at the King Khalid International Airport (KKIA) in Riyadh
EXPO 2020 Exhibition Halls at Belgium Pavilion
EXPO 2020 Meeting Rooms at Belgium Pavilion
EXPO 2020 Retail, Food & Beverage Outlets at Belgium Pavilion