& the DesMoines Performing Arts Center’s commitment. By Laura Sweet PERFORMING ARTS:


AUDIENCE ACCESSIBILITY


 nearly one half of adults over 75 report hearing loss.  veterans.    detectable level of hearing loss in one or both ears.          U.S., after arthritis and heart disease.        have been implanted worldwide. In the U.S., roughly 58,000 devices have been implanted in adults and 38,000 in children.


 prohibited discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all ar-  - lic and private places that are open to the general public. In 2008,          including performing arts centers to address accessibility challenges. With more than 57 million Americans reporting mobility, sensory, neu- rological, intellectual, and other types of disabilities, this diverse group represents a growing market for businesses and a valuable source of talent and support for programs and activities. The spending power of Americans with disabilities is currently about $220 billion. Wounded veterans, along with the aging baby boomer generation, continue to swell the population of those with disabilities.         for guests who use mobility devices, sign language interpreters, braille programs and accessible restrooms, in many ways accessibility in our   hearing assistive devices, the ability to hear the rich quality of per- formances remains limited. Performing arts venues have traditionally required guests with hearing loss to locate, check out, and wear a head- set. They are rarely used and often do not provide the sound quality that is expected of performances in such a venue.       - sue. Induction loops utilize the telecoil found in most assisted listening devices to deliver superior sound quality directly to the users’ existing device. Of the 2016 top 100 Theatre Venues list provided by Pollstar Magazine, fewer than 10% have induction looped installations, due to      - -    A survey published in Hearing Review found that telecoil looped ven- ues provided nearly double the sound quality experience of a non-


looped setting. The experience is considerably better for the guest, es- pecially because a discreet switch is toggled on the guest’s own assisted listening device. Induction looping delivers a clear, sharp, customized sound right inside the ear. As a result, hearing loss need not prevent guests from engaging in world-class arts, entertainment, education, and cultural activities any longer.  - mitted to making facilities and programs accessible to all in the com-  plan to design, fund and install an induction loop system for the main             potential vendor partners for initial information and preliminary solu- tions. Three prospective vendors submitted proposals, and Arrow AV   - ditorium, to installing the cables and doing both on-site testing and     -           user since the installation. Mr. West notes that the induction loop has   CAROLE KING MUSICAL. “The sound I’ve experienced personally through the new telecoil system has been more robust, more colorful—it has brought texture and depth to each event. I am captivated and pulled into the live per-  The Civic Center’s state-of-the-art induction loop links hearing aid


users directly into the sound system, to the delight of patrons. If guests  provided by the induction loop system they can check out a device at    in October 2016. Hundreds of guests to the Civic Center have ben-  FM


   Arts.


Citations:  www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/age-related-hearing-loss) | US Department of Veteran’s   America (http://www.hearingloss.org/content/basic-facts-about-hearing-loss) * further  quick-statistics-hearing) | AARP: http://blog.aarp.org/2015/05/20/love-theater-but- cant-hear-it-four-show-stopping-solutions/ | Hearing Review: http://www.hearingreview. - mal-hearing-listeners-hearing-aid-users/


40 Facility Manager Magazine


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