These write-in responses were later recoded and, where applicable, added to the count by category. Respondents were also invited to write in other types of ALD equipment they had used. Respondents were asked to check all types of receivers they had used and to indicate if they had used wired ALDs, wireless ALDs, or both. Sample color photos of receiver types were included to supplement the descriptors in case the descriptors provided were inadequate for some respondents. The 2-year time limit was included to avoid the potential problem that users might not remember experiences with specific types of receivers in the more-distant past. This part of the questionnaire also asked respondents to indicate which types of ALD receiver equipment they had used within the past 2 years. The survey was available online from July through September 2005.Ĭomfort level using ALDs in each situation (a 5-point scale “very comfortable,” “somewhat comfortable,” “neutral,” “somewhat uncomfortable,” “very uncomfortable” plus a choice for “I do not use ALDs in this situation.”) E-mail announcements and requests to publicize the survey were also sent to individual chapters of the HLAA. These included the HLAA membership newsletter and the Beyond Hearing list-server, an online affinity group concerned with hearing loss. Immediately after the convention, e-mail announcements with links to the survey Web site were sent to online newsletters and listservers aimed at individuals with hearing loss. The survey was first publicized through flyers handed out at the HLAA 2005 convention. The survey was then posted on a secure server at Gallaudet University. The individual observation of these respondents completing the survey, and their comments about the questions as they answered, were used to revise the survey questions, response-choices, and screen layouts. Four had computer experience, and one was a novice with computers all were hearing aid wearers. The Web draft was piloted on 5 individuals (4 women, 1 man) who were members of a local HLAA chapter. After several revisions, the draft survey was coded for Web presentation. 5, 6 Therefore, the RERC also had a general interest in updating information about current problems and issues related to ALDs as perceived by individuals who use them.Ī survey of 24 questions was developed and revised through several drafts with input from the RERC investigators at Gallaudet University and representatives of the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), a national organization that at the time was named Self-Help for Hard of Hearing People (SHHH). ![]() Little opinion research on these devices has been conducted, although individuals with hearing loss have been frequently surveyed about hearing aids 3, 4 and, occasionally, about clinical services. The RERC also wished to learn whether individuals with hearing aids who use ALDs had a need for and would be willing to purchase a universal receiver, that is, a personal device that would interface with the hearing aid and be compatible with a variety of transmission technologies used in listening systems, if such a device were made available.Īssistive listening devices are important adjuncts to hearing aids and cochlear implants. ![]() The main topical focus of this survey was ALD systems for in-person listening situations such as face-to-face conversation and participation in events as part of an audience. A Web-based survey was viewed as an appropriate method to investigate the characteristics of individuals who might participate in such online services, as well as the types of needs for information they might have in relation to assistive listening devices (ALDs). ![]() ![]() A societal trend toward use of the Internet for purchasing and health information 1 had led the RERC to develop an Internet-based peer advisor training course on hearing assistive technology 2 and to consider offering other services online. In the summer of 2005, the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Hearing Enhancement (RERC) conducted a Web-based survey of individuals with hearing loss who use hearing aids or cochlear implants, or both.
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