ASSISTIVE LISTENING DEVICES
(ALDs)

Assistive Listening Devices

An Assistive Listening Device (ALD) can be used with a behind-the-ear hearing aid or by itself to amplify voices. Most ALDs use a microphone positioned close to the instructor's mouth to send the instructor's voice to a receiver worn by the student. ALDs can provide clear sound over distances, eliminate echoes, and reduce surrounding noises..

What are the benefits of using Assistive Listening Devices?

The microphone location close to the mouth allows the volume of the voice to stay constant for the student regardless of the distance between the speaker and the student. In a classroom, the instructor's voice is heard clearly over room noises such as chairs moving, fan motors running, and students talking.

Using an ALD in the Classroom:

• The student is responsible for bringing the equipment to class and managing it.


• Instructor will be asked to position the microphone 3-5” from the mouth.


• Questions/comments should be repeated by the instructor to allow the student access to all information. Another option is to pass the mic to other speakers.


• For small groups, such as seminar classes, the student can borrow a conference microphone from DSS. This mic, placed in the center of a medium sized table, will pick up the voices of people seated around the table.