Beyond Hearing Survey: Exploring The Perspective of Hard-of-Hearing Air Travelers

#1

A team at Algonquin College in Ottawa, Canada, is studying the experience of hearing impaired people in accessing information from public address systems in airports with a view to increasing airport accessibility. Since they are looking for more participants, I agreed to post the survey link here. I hope that’s okay.

The study is in the form of an online survey (about 5 minutes) followed by an interview via zoom (about 45 minutes).

Survey Details:
Survey Link: https://forms.gle/ZNGK6mZ8i4NTEmQH8
Due Date: June 15th, 2024

"The survey should only take approximately 5 mins to complete, and your participation is entirely voluntary. However, your contribution will greatly assist us in shaping the future direction of our project.

" Thank you in advance for taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences. If you have any questions or encounter any issues while completing the survey, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us."

#2

I may be an outlier here … but I absolutely loathe and detest ZOOM! If the follow-up interview was by phone, then I (and others here) could stream the audio effortlessly via our cell phones.

With Zoom, there is often the whole boondoggle of getting the invitation, downloading the app, wondering if we’ll be able to stream the audio portion of Zoom (Q&A) via laptop’s BT AND be able to answer the interviewer’s questions while still streaming. I’m retired, and I don’t use Zoom nor am I comfortable with the entire “It’s on YOU, baby!” to make it work.

Even a follow-on Q&A via email would be preferable to me over Zoom. I sure hope you get some other input here, cuz you NAILED a very important issue: hearing the PA announcements at airports. I typically stand near the counter at the boarding area and am not shy asking “WHADDYA SAY?” to the person behind the counter whose mouth is pressed on top of the mic spitting unintelligible noise into it.

Auracast is supposedly one option, but it isn’t in all our aids yet. Thanks SO much for reaching out to us! :slight_smile:

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#3

I use Zoom on my iPhone, and the audio streams to my aids just like it would on a phone call. Zoom meetings even show up in the log of phone calls. I downloaded the Zoom app once, and it’s been updated automatically since then.

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#4

I use zoom all the time on my laptop without problem. I only had to download the app once, from then on, it’s been super easy. My hearing aids connect to my laptop via bluetooth, so the sound comes directly into my hearing aids just like on your phone, and the onboard mic hears my speech. I haven’t had problems with streaming, speaking, answering interviewers questions, or any other of many uses. Zoom was a lifesaver during Covid, and kept me busy and connected with hobbies, friends and other people. .

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