Large Area Assistive Listening Systems (ALS): Review and Recommendations.

摘要

Assistive listening systems (ALS) are designed to improve communication access for people with hearing loss. Signals generated by a loudspeaker or talker must often traverse a less than optimal acoustical space before being received by a listener. Though such acoustical conditions may be acceptable for people with normal hearing, this is not necessarily true for those with hearing loss. Because of the acoustical environment these people must expend a great deal of energy, with concomitant feelings of frustration and anger, in order to comprehend less than their basic auditory capabilities would otherwise have permitted. This is a point worth emphasizing: an acoustical environment acceptable for normal hearing individuals may not be so for those with hearing impairments. Assistive listening systems (ALS) help by bypassing the acoustical space between the sound source and the listener. In this report, we will (1) provide an overview of assistive listening systems, incorporating and summarizing the observations and suggestions made by the participants in meetings, (2) present the consensus recommendations regarding logistical, signage, receiver and coupling issues, (3) comment on the installation-related issues, (4) report the research study that was conducted by the RERC and, in conclusion, (5) present the recommended electroacoustic performance standards arrived at through both the research project and modifications suggested by focus group members.