Good morning,

The answer, of course, is really, really big speakers... but seriously,
there are a number of technologies that you can use for this. One of the
methods is an inductive loop system whereby anybody with a 'T' setting
on their hearing aid can just switch over to that and hear the audio
through their hearing aid(s). The implementations vary from a single
loop to "phased array" systems where you can really control the boundary
of the inductive loop, and you could even have separate areas for two
different languages with no more than a couple of feet between them.
These same systems also have devices visitors hang around their necks
with a headphone they can use - normally given out or rented.

Alternatives are an infra-red system which needs headphones for each
person that wants to hear the audio, an LED sign below the screen that
provides captioning off-screen, and an LED sign mirrored and behind the
audience whereby some seats have a piece of acrylic in front of them
that superimposes the sign behind a bit like a peppers ghost (can work
very well and be unobtrusive for those who don't use it) - I've even
seen one place where visitors were given a piece of acrylic so that they
could overlay the captioning. 

You could go exotic (and expensive) and have some seats with built-in
speakers aimed mostly up - but you should use linear array speakers so
that you don't mess up the audio experience for others in the audience. 

For a quick commercial break (sorry - I just have to as it really is a
very nice piece of equipment): our video server allows for captioning to
be present on screen (or for it to be output to an LED sign) where you
can turn the captioning on or off during the program (and select
different languages on the fly. 

Best regards,

Maris J. Ensing
Mad Systems Inc
www.madsystems.com
714 259 9000


-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Charlie Knight
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 10:37 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Hearing Impaired

I am curious as to what is available as far as instruments, aids, etc.,
which 
can be used in a museum theatre/auditorium for the benefit of the
hearing 
impaired? We're thinking more along the lines of some sort of gizmo
which will 
amplify the volume of the film or speaker rather than any kind of closed

captioning. Does anyone have any experience with this type of thing, as
we're 
starting from square one on this...

Thanks,

Charlie Knight
Curator, MacArthur Memorial
www.macarthurmemorial.org

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