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Resident urges council to install telecoil hearing loop for meetings
Summary
During public comment, a resident who is hearing impaired urged the city to install a telecoil (T-coil) loop in the meeting chamber so attendees with compatible hearing aids can receive the audio directly.
A resident, identified in the meeting as Mr. Barnett, spoke during public comment at the Oct. 20 Worcester City Council meeting to urge the city to install a telecoil (T-coil) hearing loop in the council chamber.
Barnett said he is hearing-impaired and that he currently relies on watching the meeting livestream. He described the telecoil loop used at another local venue and encouraged the city to install the system so that meeting audio would feed directly to compatible hearing aids. "When I walk in the room, I pull out my phone, hit a button, and it goes right to my hearing aids," Barnett said. He pointed out the method is commonly used at public hearings and suggested the council consider it to improve accessibility.
Why it matters: A telecoil or induction loop is a commonly used assistive-listening technology that transmits audio directly to hearing aids with compatible T-coil settings. Installing such a system can improve in-person access to public hearings for residents with hearing loss.
Next steps: Council acknowledged the comment but did not take immediate action at the Oct. 20 meeting. The item could be referred to staff for an accessibility assessment and cost estimate.
