T-Coil Research, 2017

The AT Team is wondering if T-Coil is still the best solution for installation in classrooms at UMD. The purpose of this web page is to document recent T-Coil technology developments.

• "T-Coil system is making a huge resurgence in the United States and many in the UK and Ireland are used to using the T-Coil in public places." - hearingaidknow.com Widex Introduces Made For iPhone 2016.
• "More than two dozen hearing loops have been installed in facilities throughout the community of Grinnel". Local listeners benefit from the proliferation of hearing loops in Grinnell - Grinnell College. 2016.
• "There are two limitations to the use of a hearing loop. It is only useful for people who are not completely deaf, and it can only be used in rooms that have been equipped with a surrounding induction coil." Alzubaidi and Otoom. Discussion-Facilitator: Towards Enabling Students with Hearing Disabilities to Participate in Classroom Discussions. March 2017. 
• "Unlike alternative (FM or infrared) assistive listening systems which usually sit unused, loop systems: Require (for those with T-coils) no pick up and remembering to return portable receiving units and headsets. Require purchasing/maintaining/replacing fewer portable receiving units, which are needed only for those without T-coils. Operate on a universal frequency. (FM systems operate on differing frequencies, requiring receivers for each venue.) Are inconspicuous: Loop systems offer an easy and invisible solution to an invisible problem, thus are much more likely to be used. Work in transient situations: They can serve the hard of hearing at ticket counters, teller windows, drive-through stations, airport gate areas, and train and subway stations -venues where other assistive listening systems are impractical..Are hearing-aid compatible. There’s no need to remove hearing aids in order to use a headset. Preclude bothering others nearby with sounds leaking from headset. The sound from a loop is contained within one’s ear. Afford flexible use: Can be set to hear only the speaker at the mic or both the speaker and a person nearby. Deliver personalized in-the-ear sound . . . customized by one’s own hearing aids to address one’s own hearing loss. Require only a one-time cost. - Hearing Loss Association of America, Boston Chapter - April 17, 2017.
• "(T-Coil) is the most cutting-edge, but also becoming commonplace (in theaters)" - Leimkuehler Civic Center brings ‘cutting-edge’ hearing technology to Des Moines. - March 28, 2017.
• "BART is working with the hearing-loss community on new technology that could make a big difference. The technology is called a hearing loop and it's being installed at Fremont Station with completion expected later this spring. Riders who use most typical modern hearing aids, which employ something called T-coils, will be able to toggle a switch on their hearing aids to get a much clearer, isolated sound of announcements made over the public address system, or interactions with the station agent. "It's like wifi for your ears," said Richard McKinley, managing director of Contacta Inc., which is the contractor’s vendor supplier on the pilot project." - Jordan. Pilot project at Fremont Station tests hearing loop technology to help those with hearing loss. San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. May 2, 2017.
• "FUTURE WiFi: Convenient (no receivers / BYOD)...T-coil: Works only with hearing aids with T-Coil. Benefits user by inducing into calibrated hearing aid. Requires loop of wire, Does not work in all buildings, Most expensive solution" - Saari. Conference for Catholic Facility Management (PDF), April 2017.
• "I expect hearing aids to comply with rigorous wireless streaming protocols sometime in the near future. As wireless radios become smaller and smaller, and less power hungry, there will be a movement toward favoring this mode of sound delivery over the antiquated T-Coil technology, which is highly susceptible to interference." Hearing Tracker: An Interview with Abram Bailey Canadian Hearing Report Present & Future Tracking Hearing Health Care (PDF). 2016.
• "An Access Oriented Organization dedicated to helping those with Hearing Loss – hear through Induction Loops, FM, IR Systems or with Captioning or other Technology." Loop Minnesota
• S.670 - Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017
• Apple wants T-Coil Requirement Removed
  • "Apple has patented a specific Bluetooth connectivity with hearing aids." Bluetooth hearing aids Mroz. Healthy Hearing. May. 2017
  • Apple's Petition: "The Commission HAC rules should recognize innovators that develop solutions such as the MFi hearing aid platform which result in meaningful accessibility improvements, even if those technologies are not contemplated by the existing ANSI standard for hearing aid compatibility. By doing so, the Commission will advance accessibility by encouraging Apple. - Comments to FCC (PDF) - Apple 2016
  • Audiologists Petition: "This petition made change with 1,790 supporters!" Stop the FCC from Removing the Telecoil Compatibility Requirement from HAC Phones - "Change.org. 2015.
    Apple officially filed a petition to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to remove telecoils from future iPhones. If approved, it essentially allows Apple to include proprietary technology in their iPhones (which may or may not function with other wireless hearing aids). Several Audiologists have created this petition against Apple’s petition.
    • "Apple petitioned the FCC to be allowed to remove telecoil tech from the Apple iPhone. This might be good for Apple, says audio tech expert Nick Hunn, but it’s an awful decision for everyone else". - Why The FCC Should Say No To Apple’s Telecoil Question - Hunn 2016.
  • "Apple has worked with top manufacturers to create hearing aids designed specifically for iPhone and iPad." - Apple Hearing Accessibility - iPhone 2017.
    • About Hearing Aid Compatibility (HAC) requirements for iPhone

• After reading the article, Local listeners benefit from the proliferation of hearing loops in Grinnell, contacted Grinnell College via their contact form. Asked their insights on Bluetooth vs T-Coil and where they thinnk the technology is heading. No response yet.
• Contacted Stephen Pradarell from the University of Iowa for their insights. Stephen authored the Bringing people with hearing assistance needs into the 'loop' article. Stephen referred us to Brian Manternach. Brian will contact Laura the week of September 25.

• Assistive Listening Device Locator
• Smithsonian American Art Museum : McEvoy Auditorium
• Cornell: J. Willard Marriott Executive Education Center
• Adelphi University: Post Hall, Room 107 and Nexus Building, Rooms 154, 159, 239, 242 and 275 (PDF)
• Purdue University: Multipurpose Room (Room 143)
• Grinnell College: Charles Benson Bear '39 Center for Recreation and Athletics field house bleacher section, information desk; Burling Library lounge and circulation desk; Herrick Chapel chancel and nave; Harris Center cinema; Room 101 and several other venues in Joe Rosenfield '25 Center; The College Bookstore checkout counter; and Classroom settings in Robert N. Noyce '49 Science Center.
• University of Iowa : B111, a 75-person seminar room in the Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building, Medical Alumni Auditorium, flood-related building replacement projects, including the new Art Building, School of Music, and the 1,800-seat Hancher.