Hearing Assistive and Access Technology

Hearing Assistive and Access Technology provides both fundamental and current information on hearing assistive technologies including FM systems, hearing loop systems, infrared systems, various short-range wireless device communications, as well as other auditory and visual access technologies for individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing. The authors present an overview of the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health framework and how to incorporate concepts from this framework into a needs assessment for assistive and access technologies.

This text is ideal for audiologists, rehabilitationists, speech-language pathologists, and disability specialists as it addresses topics such as legal information and product standards, acoustic issues in a variety of environments, telecommunications access, among others. Also provided is a thorough glossary and examples of setting up hearing assistive technologies.

From the Foreword:
"Drs. Atcherson, Franklin and Smith-Olinde have written a ''must-read'' book about assistive and emerging technologies that can vastly increase the ability of consumers with hearing loss to hear more clearly, communicate more effectively and enhance their quality of life. Although written primarily for hearing health care professionals, consumers, family members and those who interact with people with hearing loss can greatly benefit from understanding how technology, beyond and in conjunction with hearing aids and implantable devices, can provide greater access to more opportunities...

...The authors effectively highlight the power of harnessing new technology for better hearing, removing impediments, and training hearing health care professionals about the possibilities for consumers with hearing loss, not the limitations."

Anna Gilmore Hall, RN, MS, CAE
Executive Director
Hearing Loss Association of America
Bethesda, Maryland

Samuel R. Atcherson, PhD, is an audiologist and associate professor as well as director of the Auditory Electrophysiology and Rehabilitation Laboratory in the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology in a consortium between the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR). He has a secondary appointment as an adjunct clinical associate professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Dr. Atcherson has presented more than 130 times on an array of topics related to hearing loss, technology, and health-related issues. He has more than 85 publications, including two books and six book chapters. His interests include auditory and vestibular electrophysiology, hearing assistive technology, and health literacy. Dr. Atcherson is familiar with and benefits from hearing assistive and access technologies—he is a bilateral cochlear implant user with previous hearing aid use for more than 30 years.

Clifford A. Franklin, PhD, is an audiologist and associate professor in the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology in a consortium between the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. With more than 17 years of experience as an audiologist, his clinical experiences include working in university clinics as well as in a hospital setting. Dr. Franklin’s clinical experience has contributed to his interest in hearing aid use. His research is mainly focused on the acceptance of background noise while listening to speech. Dr. Franklin’s 42 national and international presentations and 17 publications cover a range of topics from acceptable noise levels to timely trends in hearing aids.

Laura Smith-Olinde, PhD, is an audiologist and associate professor as well as director of the Educators Academy at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Before assuming her current position, Dr. Smith-Olinde was on faculty and taught in audiology and speech pathology programs for 16 years—most recently in the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology in a consortium between the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She also served as the coordinator of the Infant Hearing Program for the Arkansas Department of Health for more than a year. Dr. Smith-Olinde has more than 30 publications with more than 80 presentations on varied topics related to hearing and hearing loss.