Susan Knox Wilson
Our PebbleCreek neighbors Tom and Shannon haven’t been to the theater in years. Why? Because they have hearing loss, Tom and Shannon have despaired of ever really enjoying a concert, a movie or a play because, even using special headsets, they are frustrated by the sound quality, static and interference. All that’s about to change. The new, renovated Renaissance Theatre will have cutting edge technology to help people who have hearing loss who use a hearing aid or cochlear implant – a “hearing loop.”
In most public places, people with hearing loss hear the broadcast sound, but only after it has traveled some distance from a loudspeaker, reverberated off walls and gotten mixed with other room noise. Hearing loop systems take sound straight from the source and deliver it right into the listener’s head. It’s as if one’s head was located in the microphone — without extraneous noise or blurring of the sound with distance from the sound source.
In the Renaissance Theatre, the “hearing loop” is installed in the floor around the periphery of the room. The loop, a thin strand of copper wire, radiates electromagnetic signals that can be picked up by a tiny receiver already built into most hearing aids and cochlear implants. When the receiver is turned on, the hearing aid receives only the sounds coming directly from a microphone, not the background cacophony.
This technology, which has been widely adopted in northern Europe, has the potential to transform the lives of tens of millions of Americans, according to national advocacy groups. As hearing loops are installed in more and more theaters, stores, banks, museums and other public spaces, people who have felt excluded are suddenly back in the conversation.
“The hearing loop is the equivalent of a wheelchair ramp for people who are socially isolated because of their hearing loss,” said Shannon. “It is so frustrating and, ultimately, exhausting, to struggle to hear. In the past we attended a few events at the Renaissance Theatre, but I always had to make sure we had the center seats in the first row so we could get the best reception on the audio assist devices and read lips when the device failed us. But even then, if a performer turned their head or spoke while exiting the stage, we didn’t know what was being said. Having the hearing loop in the theater will make such a huge difference for us – we can’t wait!”
The Hearing Loss Association of America, the largest group representing people with hearing problems, has joined with the American Academy of Audiology in a campaign to make loops more common in the United States — and we’re glad to join them!
And in other Renaissance Theatre news—
Here are highlights of the expansion/renovation project for September:
September 9 New bathroom backstage bathroom trim and accessories installed
September 16 Final interior paint touch up and cleaning
September 20 Landscaping completed
September 23 Certificate of occupancy granted
September 26 HOA move-in
The project to expand the Renaissance Theatre’s backstage area is a collaboration of the HOA, the Performing Arts Council (PAC) and a significant financial contribution by Ed Robson — along with donations from PAC patrons totaling more than $120,000 for the “Build the Backstage” fund, with $75,000 going toward the actual building and the remaining funds to be used to finish the backstage interior areas.