Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Hearing loops in common spaces?

[Anne Geraghty (abgwalks]

Hello Allison,

> We installed a hearing loop as part of our original construction that was 
> completed in 2024.  It has taken some time for all of our members to move in 
> and as a result  we have continued to have our general meetings on Zoom until 
> just recently. We are beginning to have one portion of our meeting on Zoom, 
> and one in our Commons dining room. We haven’t fully implemented our hearing 
> loop technology, but I expect that we will be doing so in the coming months 
> and I’m very excited about it as I only hear out of one ear and that ear is 
> significantly impaired.

> We too have acoustic difficulties because of the many flat surfaces that 
> reflect sound in our commons dining room. I expect that we will be addressing 
> these issues as well over time through various acoustic treatments. 

> One of the devices that has helped me personally a great deal is a portable 
> hearing loop.  It’s astounding the clarity of sound that it provides when I 
> aim it toward a speaker.


Portable loop with cup to show its size. 


This is the microphone side of the device that you point toward the speaker you 
are trying to hear. 

> Hearing loops are prevalent in Europe, but not so much here although some 
> areas they’re very prevalent such as Eugene, Oregon, which we’re looking to 
> learn from.

> I am hoping to form an HLAA (Hearing Loss Association of America) chapter in 
> the Sacramento area and advocate for hearing loops and other assistive 
> communication technology in public venues. I don’t think people realize how 
> important clarity of sound is. Just amplifying the sound doesn’t do it at 
> least it doesn’t do it for me. But we’re in a terrific age of innovation and 
> there’s lots to learn. I hope to go to the HLAA conference in Louisville, 
> Kentucky in June. If you are interested in learning more about hearing 
> technology, that’s a great place to learn. I’d be glad to talk to you further 
> if you want to give me a call or text at 916-995-6629  

Anne Geraghty
Washington-Commons.org
West Sacramento California. 

> On Feb 28, 2026, at 4:36 PM, Mabel Liang <mabel [at] twomeeps.com> wrote:
> Hi Allison,
> 
> I've cc'd Carol Agate, a former resident who only moved out last month to 
> senior living.  She has a lot of experience with the Hearing Loss Society and 
> can describe her experiences here with captioning and the other equipment 
> we've tried.  I think the captioning worked _pretty_ well for her.  She has 
> used it both with an app on her phone and Zoom's captioning.
> 
> I've also cc'd Avi Pfeffer, who donated some equipment that we used when the 
> meetings were only in person, pre-COVID.  They involved mikes and individual 
> receivers, I think, but he can describe them better.
> 
> Good luck!
> 
> -- Mabel :-)
> 
> mabel [at] twomeeps.com
> Mabel Liang
> Cornerstone Village Cohousing
> Cambridge, MA
> 
> Software Engineer turned Gardener
> 
>> On 2026-02-28 17:21, Allison Tom via Cohousing-L wrote:
>> 
>> Hello All,
>> I have a moderate hearing loss and use hearing aids, but I am constantly
>> struggling to hear in meetings in our common house. Some of it seems to be
>> about the acoustics of the space, and some about people not remembering to
>> speak up.
>> I'd be really interested to hear from anyone who has tried installing a
>> hearing loop or other adaptive equipment in common space. Also, has anyone
>> tried captioning?
>> Many thanks, Allison Tom
>> Driftwood Village Cohousing
>> North Vancouver, British Columbia
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