Thanks to a donation from the Catholic Women’s League, parishioners at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church will now be able to hear a little easier.
CWL members recently presented a cheque for $1,000 to Father Tony Ackermann to help with the costs of the recently installed sound system for hearing aid users at the Armstrong church.
“The church and hall underwent extensive renovations through most of 2017,” said CWL president Pat Weninger. “With the inclusion of the new induction loop sound system, Armstrong now has two venues supporting the use of hearing aids. Heaton Place installed the hearing loop in 2015.”
A hearing loop is a special type of sound system for use by people with hearing aids. It sends a wireless signal directly to the hearing aid when it is set to “T” (Telecoil) setting.
“In some parts of the world, the U.K. for example, assistive listening technology has actually been legislated in order to provide accessibility to all people,” said Weninger. “In Europe and the U.S., induction loops continue to gain in popularity as a result of their simplicity and effectiveness.
“In Canada, people are starting to hear about this technology. Many businesses are beginning to recognize the importance of serving their clientele by providing loops in their facilities. This is a way of promoting accessibility and inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of community life.”
Weninger said BC Ferries Corporation recently got on board by having induction loops installed on several of their ships and have announced that all new-builds and re-fitted older ships will have Loops installed.
Weninger added that as a life-long hearing aid user, she is especially pleased to be part of this project at St. Joseph’s. As a member of Armstrong Toastmasters, she has personal experience of the hearing loop system at Heaton Place.
“I’ve experienced the hearing loop when their music systems are on when I arrive to set up for our meetings and just love it. I’ve also experienced it at St. James Catholic Church when I attended a retreat there,” she said. “I’ve worn hearing aids since I was a youngster and this loop is the greatest thing since the ear trumpet!”