Assistive Technology for Learners With Difficulties Hearing

Students who have difficulties hearing face a number of obstacles in the classroom.  Many classrooms have poor acoustics, teachers may speak quickly and/or quietly, and even with hearing aids, the acoustics of the room may lessen the hearing aids effectiveness.  Students who use hearing aids also may do well in one-on-one conversations but often times the multiple conversations happening at once may overwhelm the student and conversations will be difficult to follow.  There are many times of assistive technology for hearing.  In my own classroom I've used 2 different microphone devices.  I originally used a head piece that had a microphone reaching around towards the side of my face.  The student then had a personal speaker box on his desk so the sound could travel right to him.  This device was effective but often times would act up, or become very uncomfortable.  The device I've used in recent years is a microphone on a necklace.  The sound comes clearly and evenly out of a speaker that sits off to the side of the classroom making sound quality and instruction better for everyone in the room, not just my student with hearing difficulties.  I typically will sit my student close to the speaker box for reinforcement.  The technology improves year after year which is wonderful not just for teachers and students with difficulty hearing but for everyone involved in the classroom.