Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is conducting a pilot project at Fremont Station on new technology that could make a big difference for people with hearing-loss. The idea came through collaboration with the BART Accessibility Task Force (BATF).
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 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.
“We’re trying to improve the situation so people can better hear and understand what’s going on in the noisy, environment,” Carl Orman, project manager for the installation, said. “Riders with access to the hearing loop system can feel more assured of receiving important information without straining to understand and decipher what is being said,” Janice Armigo Brown, member of the Accessibility Task Force, explained.
Once the technology is up and running, BART will invite riders who use T-coil hearing aids to test the pilot project and give feedback. There will be pictogram placards placed in the area indicating that hearing loop technology is available.
Hearing loop technology will also be among the capabilities of BART’s Fleet of the Future. BART is working with Bombardier to develop and test an induction loop system for BART’s new fleet. If the testing goes well, this system will transmit audio announcements and other BART information directly to receptive hearing aids and cochlear implants while riding in the new fleet – a much more comprehensive deployment, for which the Fremont pilot project is another step in laying the foundation.
Share on:
