Getting to Know Hearing Loops

When you see a blue sign shaped like a human ear, it's a cue for hearing aid users to press a tiny button to hear a special broadcast sent directly to their device.

This is called a hearing loop—a thin copper wire that radiates electromagnetic signals in a room. A tiny receiver called a telecoil, built into most hearing aids and cochlear implants, picks up the signal. With the flip of a switch on the device, sound comes through with greater clarity than someone with normal hearing can hear. This could be music, sound from a movie, or a speaker. Hearing loops are better known in Europe than in the US, where only about a thousand have been installed in museums, stores, theaters, airports, and sports arenas.

The sign should include a "T" symbol in the lower right-hand corner of the ear symbol if an induction loop is installed. If there is only an ear with a slash in the middle, the sign indicates there is some sort of hearing access, but good luck figuring out what the site has. If there are dots/slashes running through the ear, the sign indicates that an assistive listening system is present; it could be an FM or Infrared system, and headsets and/or neck loops may be available.