TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Technology

Can You Hear Me Now? How the Travel Industry Is Answering That Call

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man standing in grand central Written by Stephen Frazier

Telecoils embedded in personal hearing aids have long been a discreet solution for people with hearing loss. They improve the quality of the sound they hear—whether it be in a noisy train station or on a city walking tour. Today many venues—from airport terminals to hotel conference rooms and theaters—offer a next-level hearing experience using a hearing loop. The loop transmits sound via an electromagnetic signal to personal hearing devices with telecoils, boosting volume and clarity. (With microphones turned off and telecoils turned on, travelers can hear public address systems, tour guides, ticket agents and others as though the person speaking was within inches of their ear.) Most background noise that can otherwise cover or interfere with understanding speech is eliminated. Sound is customized by the hearing aids to match the hearing loss pattern of each individual user, giving an extra boost to those frequencies that a person has the most difficulty hearing. Sounds great right? The only problem: Most people aren’t aware of how many places now use hearing loop technology and skip out on experiences they think they won’t enjoy, particularly when traveling abroad. Here’s what you need to know:

Where they are: In the U.S., a growing number of airports have installed the technology at departure gates and ticket counters. All New York City subway information and fair booths now feature hearing loops and new taxicabs are fitted with them. Many places of worship, museums, theaters, and other destinations now utilize this technology at ticket counters, for performances, and on walking tours. Even the 12,000 seats in the Breslin Center at Michigan State University offer hearing loop access to sporting and other events held there. All hearing loops use the same frequency in the U.S. and throughout the world. Whether you are at Domodedovo airport in Moscow, visiting Westminster Abbey in London or enjoying the Sydney Opera House in Australia, there are hearing loops.

How to know if there is a loop: The presence of hearing loop technology is usually announced by the display of an international symbol (T). If it carries a “T” the venue is either looped or provides neckloops to visitors. In the U.S. it is the standard blue and white disability signage colors but abroad it can be different colors. For travelers who have cochlear implants or telecoil equipped hearing aids, experts encourage people to purchase their own personal neckloop. Virgin Atlantic provides passengers on their international flights the choice of earphones or neckloops to connect to the aircraft’s sound system to listen to music or watch TV. On other airlines, personally owned neckloops will work as well or better. They also work any place that has an earphone jack, be it an airplane or at a theatrical production.

When to ask for a personal neckloop: Whenever a receiver and earphones are offered, travelers should ask if neckloops are available. Being able to hear better can help to ensure even greater satisfaction from a planned trip to any location in the U.S. or abroad. The 2010 revisions to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandate that any public place of assembly with a functioning public address system must also have an assistive listening system (ALS) that can wirelessly connect to the telecoils in hearing aids. This requirement applies to any new or significantly upgraded PA systems. More and more venues now feature it whether it be the neckloop option at a multiplex or the looped U.S. Supreme Court chamber.

Additional information on hearing loop/telecoil technology can be found at Hearing Loss Association of America.  To find looped venues, check www.loopfinder.com/,  www.aldlocator.com/  and  www.time2loopamerica.com/loop-locator/

Stephen O. Frazier is a hearing loss support specialist, member of the Hearing Loss Association of America’s National ‘Get in the Hearing Loop’ Steering Committee and director of Loop New Mexico. 

Why 285 Million People Worldwide Can’t Navigate Your Hotel or Airport

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The very existence of a tool that can map public indoor spaces is a big deal for travelers who are blind or have low vision, especially in cities and towns struggling with budget cuts, according to a recent piece in WIRED. The author interviewed the Louisville, Kentucky CEO who created the mapping tool who said, “It’s really wonderful to hear people say, ‘I can walk through malls or walk through venues without this sense of hopelessness or of missing information’.”  Find out more about Access Explorer here. (Access Explorer is available for Android phones and is available as an iTunes app.) READ MORE 

OUR TAKE: New research shows that national study that shows cases of blindness will double in the United States by 2050—and that doesn’t include the 16 million Americans expected to have difficulty seeing. A researcher at the National Institutes of Health is quoted as saying, “These findings are an important forewarning of the magnitude of vision loss to come.” One great resource for collateral is BrailleWorks.com, which helps to create menus, maps and other materials for the millions who can’t read documents because of visual impairment or blindness; they also do audio.

 

photo courtesy Access Explorer 

6 Awesome Apps for Travelers with a Disability

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woman showing a teenager a cell phone that she is holding in her hand. He has his arms above his head and is looking closely at the screen,Thanks to the experts at Disability Horizons for finding and testing apps that make enjoying traveling easier for people with disabilities. One app focuses almost exclusively on finding parking and accessible bathrooms for wheelchair users. Another app pairs a blind person with someone who is sighted who can describe photos, graphics or words as art. (They have nearly 2,000 subscribers, so it’s very likely that you’ll get help consistently and quickly.) Another app reminds travelers when to take their medicine. Parents and caregivers will love this one. READ MORE

OUR TAKE: In a world where 1 in 5 people have a disability, there can’t be enough innovation. But if you read the Disability Horizons story, you’ll notice that many of the problems that apps solve aren’t rocket science—they cover the basics, give people with disabilities options and help people feel at home wherever they are. Who wouldn’t want those things? In fact, they are often helpful for people who do not have disabilities. At TravelAbility Summit this fall, we will be gathered in San Francisco with one goal—to make getting around the world easier for everyone. And yes, there will be apps there, too. The Summit Agenda includes entrepreneurs as well as pre-summit meetings with funders interested in founders of disability tech products.   

Product of the Month: Introducing the Seeing Eye Suitcase

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Courtesy Carnegie Mellon

In partnership with Carnegie Mellon University researchers, Pittsburgh International Airport has created a suitcase and a smartphone app to assist blind airport travelers to navigate the terminal. The rolling suitcase has been nicknamed “BBeep” and is reported to help blind people navigate crowded airports, according to a TribLive report by Tom Davidson.

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Find some of the best assistive products on TravelAbility Summit’s Fab 50 list.

Google Goes Accessible with Routes for Wheelchair Users. Plus: More Options

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birds eye view of planes and houses

The tool: Google maps that integrate wheelchair accessible public transit routes into its directions feature.

The reviews: Cautiously optimistic, according to a New Mobility review.

The buzz: Few travel industry folks we spoke with even knew about the Google tool, which could become a helpful solution, particularly for city wheelers.

Who its best for right now: According the New Mobility review, “Users in six cities – New York, Boston, Tokyo, London, Mexico City, and Sydney – can search for directions between locations, choose public transit as the method of travel and then select “wheelchair accessible” from the route-options menu. As with all public transit searches in Maps, a selection of routes will appear, but now only routes with accessible stations and modes of transit will be included.” 
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Another option: Project Sidewalk, a crowdsourced navigation tool that gamifies collecting data has been developed at the University of Washington Makeability Lab, was successfully tested in Washington, D.C. and according to their Twitter feed, has launched in Seattle with massive success. A recent tweet via @projesidwalk: “Project Sidewalk is now officially live in Seattle! In our first week, we collected over 10,000 sidewalk accessibility labels. Help us get to 20,000! You can participate from all seven continents–all you need is an Internet connection & a laptop!

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Our vote: Project Sidewalk, which looks like it’s off to a promising start.

Editor’s note: Don’t confuse Project Sidewalk with another (controversial) initiative from Alphabet called Sidewalk Labs, which will collect data on commuter routes in Portland. (This piece in Geekwire makes no mention of tracking wheelchair users or routes.)