Templates - Sites (for staff)

These templates are designed to save you time – just adapt them to fit your needs for your hearing loop, FM, or infrared system.

If you need something else, please email us. There’s no sense in reinventing the wheel.

General

Resources for using disability language

Disability Language Style Guide, National Center on Disability and Journalism (webpage). As language, perceptions and social norms change rapidly, it is becoming increasingly difficult for journalists and other communicators to figure out how to refer to people with disabilities. This style guide, which covers dozens of words and terms commonly used when referring to disability, can help. (webpage)

Good language

  • People with hearing loss
  • Patrons with hearing loss

Person-first language. The goal of person-first language—to avoid language that dehumanizes or stigmatizes people.

Social media tags

INCLUSION  #inclusion  #InclusiveDesign  #communication  #ItDoesMatter

ASSISTIVE LISTENING SYSTEMS  #hearingloop  #telecoil  #assistivetechnology  #advocacy  #hearingclarity  #acoustics  #hearingloopshelp   #WhereILoop

ADA  #ADA  #effectivecommunications  #accessibility  #adacompliance   #Advocacy   #IWill

HEARING LOSS  #betterhearing  #hearingloss  #hearingaids  #hearinglossawareness  #hearinglossjourney  #HardOfHearin#HearingLossSupport   #HearBetterLiveBetter

DISABILITY  #disability  #disabilities  #DisabilityAwareness  #DisabilityRightsAreHumanRights  #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs  #DifferentlyAbled  #RemoveTheAsk  #DisabilityResearch  #PwD 

LEARNING/EDUCATION  #education  #community  #conference  #networking  #learningandgrowing

AUDIOLOGY/HEARING INSTRUMENT SPECIALISTS  #audiology #audiologists #audiologist #aud #aud2be #IHSHear4U  #aud2b #bestpractice  #stayconnectedwithlife (IHS promotion)

SOUND  #reverberation  #buildingacoustics  #SoundLevel  #NoiseLevel  #AcousticService  #acousticsolutions #acousticpanels  #roomtreatment #backgroundnoise

Provide Public Notice

Title II entities. “Public entities are required to ensure that interested people, including people with vision or hearing impairments, can obtain information as to theexistence and location of accessible services, activities, and facilities.” This is an important but frequently overlooked part of the regulations.”

“To ensure that the public can easily identify the ADA Coordinator, the person’s name and contact information must be provided to the public.”

from ADA Action Guide (webpage)

For Title III entities, public notice is a best practice, but not required. However, it helps both the site and the public to provide advanced information on what accommodations are already available. That way, the owner/operators don’t answer the same questions over and over, and users can plan to attend or request something else they might need.

All public entities must provide information to the public, program participants, program beneficiaries, applicants and employees about the ADA and how it applies to the public entity. Here are some methods that public entities have used over the last 20 plus years.

Methods

  • Put the notice on the public entity’s website.
  • Include the notice in social media such as Twitter and Facebook.
  • Post the notice at facilities.
  • Publish the notice in local newspapers.
  • Broadcast the notice in public service announcements on local radio and television stations.
  • Include the notice in program announcements and applications.

The information must be provided in “alternative” formats so that it is accessible to people with hearing and vision disabilities.

ADA Title II Action Guide

Templates

How the hyperlinks work:

  • image or title -> opens a new webpage with more information
  • download icon at bottom -> direct download or webpage
pdf
447 KB
(3 per page, pdf) Coupons used at The Shedd. “I have a donor who will pick up 50% of the cost of a ticket for new patrons. We call it …
mp3
2 MB
Users will be frustrated if they must wait until the start of your event* to verify that your assistive listening system (ALS) has been turned on and any borrowed receiver
pdf
111 KB
On the back of your counter hearing loop, either 1) tape this business card or 2) print on labels. Staff can learn and easily check that the counter hearing loop …
www
Download hearing loop, FM/RF, and infrared graphics at no charge (this website). Signs are not only required by the ADA, but signs also let people with hearing loss know that …
docx
68 KB
(3 per page, .docx) A one-third page template that you can easily adapt for your facility. Then, display it in your lobby for people to pick up or insert it …
docx
52 KB
(4 per page, .docx) An insert that goes into every ticket order, so it reaches literally thousands of people each year. You can easily give them information about your hearing …
Media release: New assistive listening system

Currently under revision. 98% done! Please email us if you have an immediate need.

Policy for Institutions

Example of a Policy and Procedure for Providing Auxiliary Aids for Persons with Disabilities. US Department of Health and Human Services (webpage)

“(iii) For the following auxiliary aids and services, staff will contact (responsible staff person or position and telephone number), who is responsible to provide the aids and services in a timely manner:

Note-takers; computer-aided transcription services; telephone handset amplifiers; written copies of oral announcements; assistive listening devices; assistive listening systems; telephones compatible with hearing aids; closed caption decoders; open and closed captioning; telecommunications devices for deaf persons (TDDs); videotext displays; or other effective methods that help make aurally delivered materials available to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.”

Hearing Loop Coming - Activate Your Telecoils

[Organization Name] is excited to announce the installation later this month of an assistive listening system known as a hearing loop. The new system will allow people with hearing loss to hear services/programs easily and clearly with the use of their own hearing aid, cochlear implant, or a borrowed receiver with headphones.

How to use the hearing loop
If you have a hearing aid, you likely have a feature known as a telecoil or “t-coil” in it. This feature is not automatically activated by audiologists or hearing instrument specialists, but is present in most hearing aids and all implants on the market today. Someone using a hearing aid will be able to use the new assistive system by simply switching to the t-coil program on their hearing aid or cochlear implant. If you are not sure if your hearing aid has a telecoil program or whether it is activated, contact your hearing provider. We encourage everyone with hearing aids to inquire about the telecoil sooner rather than later, so that when the hearing loop installation is completed later this month, you can use the system with your hearing aids or cochlear implants.

Receivers with headphones will be available for people to use if they don’t have hearing aids, or if their hearing aid does not have a telecoil in it. Stay tuned for more information!

For more information on telecoils, visit the Center for Hearing Access

graphic of a telecoil in a hearing aid

Handouts

Enabling Telecoils (postcard)

Many people with hearing aids don’t know if their hearing aid has a telecoil or how to use it. Ask your audiologist or hearing instrument specialist if your hearing aid has a telecoil, make sure it’s activated, and ask for instruction in using your telecoil program

HLAA Enabling Telecoils (front/back postcard, pdf) (4 to a page, pdf)

List of Assistive Listening Systems in your Community

Ideas:

  • Provide copies of the hearing loop list for your state (this website)
  • Create your own community assistive listening system list, with hearing loops, FM, or infrared locations listed. Share.
ADA Standards for Assistive Listening Systems Summary