Hearing Assistive Technology

Now that I have efficiently covered the general realm of UDL, let me move more specifically towards assistive technology. Assistive technology is used to aid students with many diverse needs. One area in which assistive technology is used in the classroom is with students who have hearing deficits. This population of students faces a number of difficulties with following instruction in the classroom due to a variety of factors, including poor acoustics, classroom layout, and teacher style. Hearing assistive technology is a category of assistive technology that helps these students who have hearing losses. These types of assistive technologies, such as assistive listening devices, can help students who are hard of hearing by amplifying sounds while minimizing background distractions. A variety of assistive listening devices are available to meet specific needs (including FM systems, infrared systems, induction loop systems, and soundfield amplification system). All assistive listening devices aim to provide a high-quality listening environment, which is known to have a major impact on academic performance of students who are hard of hearing.