Hearing Enhancement and Spanish Translation

Hearing Enhancement and Spanish Translation

Braille
MonitorApril
2007
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Hearing Enhancement
and Spanish Translation
Available at National Convention
Spanish Translators Needed
by D. Curtis
Willoughby

From the Editor: Curtis Willoughby is a member of the NFB's Research
and Development Committee and head of our Ham Radio Interest Group. Here is
his announcement about FM receivers at convention:
Again
this year at national convention we will offer special arrangements for severely
hearing-impaired people attending convention sessions and the banquet. This
will consist of transmission of the public address system signal over a special
short-range radio transmitter for the severely hearing-impaired. Also Spanish-language
translation of convention proceedings in general sessions and the banquet will
be provided using a similar arrangement. The special receivers required for
these services will also be provided.
In cooperation
with several state affiliates (notably Colorado, Louisiana, Ohio, Utah, and
Virginia), the NFB will provide special receivers for these transmissions to
those needing them. The receiver-lending will be managed by the Ham Radio Group
and will be operated from a table just outside the meeting room. A deposit of
$25, cash only, will be required of anyone wishing to check out one of the Federation's
receivers. The deposit will be returned if the receiver is checked in at the
checkout table in good condition by adjournment or within thirty minutes of
adjournment of the last convention session. Batteries for the receiver will
be provided. Anyone checking out a Federation receiver will be given upon request
a miniature earbud-type earphone to use with the receiver.
Along with
explaining what will be available, it is important that we explain what will
not be available. The miniature earbud loudspeaker-type earphone will be the
only kind of earphone offered. The receiver requires a 3.5 mm (formerly called
1/8-inch) earphone plug, in case you want to use your own earphone(s), Silhouette®,
neck loop, adapter cable, etc. You are advised to arrange for such things well
ahead of arriving at the convention. Other than the earphone jack on the receiver,
no means of connection to a hearing aid will be available from the checkout
table. The receiver does not have a built-in loud-speaker. While earphones,
and even neck loops, are sometimes available in the exhibit hall, you cannot
be certain of getting one there.
Many severely
hearing-impaired people already use radio systems that employ FM radio signals
to carry the voice, which goes from a transmitter held by the person speaking
to a receiver in the hearing aid. Many such hearing aid systems can be tuned
to receive the Federation's special transmitters. In this case the hearing-impaired
person may simply tune his or her own receiver to receive the Federation's transmitter
and will not need to check out a Federation receiver.
Some audiologists
and rehabilitation agencies are now buying digital and other FM hearing aids
that cannot be tuned to the Federation's frequency. If you have one of these
or if you have any other type of hearing aid, you should obtain from your audiologist
an adapter cable to connect from your hearing aid to a monaural 3.5 mm (formerly
called 1/8-inch) earphone jack. This will allow you to plug the cable from your
hearing aid directly into a receiver you check out from our table. This will
allow you to hear as well as anyone else using one of our receivers.
The transmitter
for the hearing impaired will be connected to the public address system so that
the signals from the head table and the aisle microphones will be transmitted
on channel 36 (74.775 MHz narrow band FM). (People must not operate their personal
transmitters on channel 36 or on channel 38, because that would interfere with
the reception by others.) This means that folks wishing to use their own receivers
(rather than checking out one of the Federation's receivers) need to have their
personal receivers arranged so that they can switch between their personal channels
and channel 36. Some people may need to purchase replacement or additional receivers.
Caution your audiologist that there is more than one channel 36, and he or she
must also verify that the frequency matches our frequency.
This announcement
is published now to allow as much time as possible for those interested to make
the necessary arrangements before convention. It contains this amount of detail
so that any audiologist who works with this type of equipment should be able
to know by reading this article exactly what capabilities a person's FM hearing
system must have to work with the Federation's system at convention.
Even if you do not use an FM hearing aid, you may be able to purchase a Silhouette®,
a neck loop, or an adapter cable to couple the signal from a Federation receiver
directly to your hearing aid. Your audiologist should also be able to help you
with this.
The service
for Spanish speakers will be similar, except that a live Spanish translator
will speak over a separate transmitter on channel 38 (75.275 MHz narrow band
FM). We do not expect that people will bring their own receivers for the Spanish-translation
service, unless they are also hearing impaired and use an FM hearing aid system.
Spanish speakers may, however, wish to bring their own ear phones. See above
for a description of the type of plug needed.
Norm Gardner
from Utah will be coordinating the Spanish language interpreters, and he would
appreciate hearing from anyone willing to volunteer to interpret. Please call
him before convention at (801) 224-6969, or send him email at <[email protected]>.
Finally, if other state affiliates or chapters are interested in purchasing
this type of equipment for use in state and local meetings, they are encouraged
to purchase equipment that is compatible with that which we are using and to
allow it to be used in the pool of equipment that the Ham Radio Group administers
at national convention. I, Curtis Willoughby, would like to help you choose
equipment that is compatible with that which the NFB is using. I may also be
able to help you get the good prices the NFB has been getting. You may contact
me at (303) 424-7373 or at <[email protected]>.
The Federation
is pleased to offer these services to our severely hearing-impaired and Spanish-speaking
colleagues, and we hope and believe that it will again significantly improve
their convention experience.

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