Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Deaf members

[Bob Leigh (bobleigh]

We succeeded in using a microphone by  using it as a "talking stick": when
called on during a discussion, one is handed the microphone.  Some people
had to be reminded that the system fed specific receivers for those with
hearing issues but did _not_  feed a loudspeaker.

(Our system was donated by a resident in memory of his mother, as I
remember it.)

Bob Leigh
Cornerstone Village Cohousing
Cambridge MA

On Sun, Apr 25, 2021 at 1:57 PM Hafidha Sofia <hafidhaao [at] gmail.com> wrote:

> The year before the pandemic, our community was gifted such a sound
> system, and it was not utilized well or consistently. It took months to get
> it set up (it requires A/V knowledge or professional installation), and
> then there were frequent technical issues afterward. And the other issue
> was that most people didn’t want to use a microphone during meetings. The
> classic, “Oh I don’t need that, I have a loud voice.”
>
> There was a real tendency for people to view using the microphone as a
> personal decision instead of as a thing needed to make the space accessible
> for everyone.
>
> My suggestion is that communities understand that simply having the tech
> isn’t enough. It would help to have clear guidelines around using the
> microphone. Moving forward (post pandemic) I am going to advise my
> community to make mic use mandatory at monthly house meetings. And during
> weekly announcements. Both of these are held in the space where we have
> this audio system set up. It also requires some training to get a lot of
> folks comfortable with operating the system. Inaccessibility is by design,
> so there has to be clear intention and commitment to change our spaces in
> order to make accessibility a reality.
>
> Hafidha
> Songaia Cohousing
> Washington State, USA
>
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Apr 25, 2021, at 10:28 AM, MJ Phillips <mjphillips [at] pobox.com> wrote:
> >
> > fwiw, I just listened to a talk on hearing loss given by our town’s
> council on aging. The speaker mentioned hearing aids that can be tuned to
> the television to make hearing that clearer. I wonder if there is similar
> technology that could be adapted to/for meetings- ie, if the speaker were
> to use a microphone that was somehow linked to the hearing aids? (and if
> the mic were to be passed around to make it really clear who was speaking
> and make sure all comments go into the mic)?
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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> >
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