LGPiper – You might contact Old North Church in Marblehead, which isn’t far from you.
I had an amazing experience a few years ago, zoning out with bad acoustics, exhausted because I couldn’t understand the minister. I sat, idly fiddling with my hearing aid buttons out of boredom. I must have hit one of the program buttons instead of the volume control, because all of a sudden, I could hear. Every word. Perfectly clearly. Turns out, I had hit my telecoil program.
It was so exciting. I talked to someone on the staff a few days later – it seems a member of the congregation had pushed for the loop a few years before. They never advertised it or put up one of the signs indicating availability.
I was involved with a project for another group in Boston that I thought might benefit from a loop and did a little research. My recollection is that the loops are NOT expensive; I think some people even install them at home. I don’t recall the limitations – it’s possible that the sound must be transmitted through a connected microphone, so it would not pick up someone who stands and speaks. But I’m not certain.
Some googling might yield more info, but check out LoopAmerica.com. They have a map showing looped locations by state – there are other locations in Massachusetts – and a list of installers. There’s a company in Lowell that does them.
What is great about loops is that they are invisible, discreet, and require no staff intervention or special requests. I’m not going to ask for an FM transmitter from someone who probably doesn’t know what I’m talking about. Who wants to draw attention to themselves and take up time before an event? Not to mention such equipment is probably never cleaned.
Looping is such a simple, effective technology. It’s common in the UK. I believe NYC requires it in theatres and certain other public spaces.