Municipal ADA Improvement Grant Opportunity

We are excited to share this Municipal ADA Improvement Grant Opportunity with you.  As a proud resident and business owner in Massachusetts, I would love to see our cities and towns leverage this opportunity.  Eligible applicants include any Massachusetts city or town departments and facilities.  This grant awards up to $250,000 to create and improve accessible features and programmatic access for persons with disabilities throughout the Commonwealth.  You MUST apply by September 30, 2022, at 5 pm, to be considered.  We can offer expertise in all forms of assistive listening technologies (including but not limited to hearing loop systems, counter loops, and speech transfer systems) and welcome the opportunity to discuss or revisit your accessibility offerings and provide you with a cost estimate to support your grant application.

Please note that all grants must be submitted using the online application portal.  For grant-related instructions and online applications, please visit https://www.mass.gov/mod/adagrant.

To set up your appointment, please contact Colin Poole at 978-453-1556 or colin@shanahansound.com

Don’t forget, time is of the essence.

Covid-19 Special Announcement

At New England Hearing Loop, we understand the concern that the coronavirus is causing in the community.  

In response, we want to let you know we are taking this situation very seriously.  Our staff is strictly following the protocols and guidelines provided by the CDC. 

We also want to assure you that we are here for continued installations and service and our sales members are still making onsite appointments. We are not canceling appointments or changing schedules unless specifically asked to do so, if a situation presents itself as hazardous to our staff or if there are shipment interruptions.

Please let us know if you have any specific policies or procedures in place that we should be aware of. If you need to cancel visits or would like to change the visit to a phone service, please contact us as soon as possible.

We recognize that for many this is a new business-as-usual environment and we will continue to work to provide you with the utmost care. New England Hearing Loop is ready to work with you to implement solutions to allow your staff to work remotely and video stream to broadcast your organization’s larger events.

Contact us at 978-453-1556 or info@newenglandhearingloop.com to enable your business continuity. 

Stay Well, 

Catherine Shanahan 

New England Hearing Loop Receives Outstanding Award!

Last quarter was an exciting one for us. We were honored to receive the Outstanding Service Provider Year Award from the Statewide Advisory Council for the Massachusetts Commission for Deaf and Hard of Hearing. In addition, we were also recognized by the Massachusetts House of Representatives for our outstanding work and dedication to the deaf and hard of hearing community.

New England Hearing Loop, a division of Shanahan, received these awards specifically in recognition of our work installing hearing loop systems throughout the state of Massachusetts increasing the number of accessible meeting spaces.

Colin Poole Joins the Shanahan & New England Hearing Loop Team!

We are thrilled to announce that we brought onboard a new systems consultant, Colin Poole. He is a seventeen-year veteran of AV sales and installation with Magnolia Audio Video and Best Buy. As an integral part of our sales force, Colin will be responsible for servicing our corporate and hearing loop clients in western and southern New England.

Colin brings an intense level of energy to his work. He has a true passion for taking cool ideas and translating then into high-end AV systems – fitting perfectly with Shanahan’s philosophy of designing high quality, scalable, and easy to use systems. In addition, he has extensive knowledge and experience in IT systems and web design. He is a self-professed geek!

Colin grew up on the South Side of Chicago. Fortunately for us, he hasn’t let his love the for the Cubs affect his love of everything Boston, especially the Patriots, where his dad is a member of the End Zone Militia.

We’ve welcomed him with great fanfare and hope you do as well! Feel free to reach out to Colin via email at colin@shanahansound.com or call him at 978-453-1556. He will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Life’s Smallest Moments Captured Again – National Assisted Living Week

This week marks National Assisted Living Week and this year’s theme is “Capture the Moment”.  What better way to capture life and its smallest moments than with the intimacy of a hearing loop table. In life and as we age, there is nothing so isolating as not being able to hear a conversation. The hearing loop table allows seniors living with hearing loss to connect, engage and communicate easily with those at the table. Using their T-coil or cochlear implant they simply sit at the table and “they are in the loop”. One can enjoy dinner, bridge, and a game of cards or even a hot cup of tea with family and friends. A looped table can also be used to conduct personal private business.  Many who struggle to hear won’t admit they can’t hear or missed what was just said. They remain silent. The result is they back away from life losing their connections with the world and those around them.  A looped table makes a conversation natural, easy and very enjoyable for those who hear and those who struggle with hearing loss.

So what is a hearing loop table?

It is a modern, sleek looking piece of furniture with a beautiful mahogany finish that can be used in both professional and casual settings. This unique product houses a Contacta HLD5 hearing loop driver, digital mixer, and four hearing loop modules underneath the surface of the table providing a complete hearing loop system. The table features either two or four flush mounted microphones built into the surface to pick up the clearest audio possible. With no installation needed, this hearing loop is truly plug and play and easily movable from room to room. One can even cover the microphones with a table cloth for more elegant dining.

We’ve experienced firsthand the joy and pleasure on faces of those sitting at a looped table when they realize they are part of the conversation and living in the moment. They have captured life again.

New England Hearing Loop Incorporates a Loop Locator onto its Website to Help the Hearing Impaired

Lowell, MA — March 6, 2018

“As sound experts and musicians we are acutely aware of the difficulties people living with hearing loss encounter every day. Our goal is to always optimize the audio experience for our clients. With that in mind, it was clear to us that hearing loop technology was a natural fit for us to offer our clients.”

Catherine Shanahan, President, Shanahan Sound & Electronics, Inc.

New England Hearing Loop, a division of Shanahan Sound & Electronics, Inc., has developed a Loop Locator on its website to help the hearing impaired locate facilities that incorporate Hearing Loops. A Hearing Loop — or assistive listening device — gives the hearing impaired the ability to enjoy films, lectures and other public presentations or decipher public announcements at places such as theaters and sports stadiums. The Loop Locator will be an immense resource to the people living with hearing loss since it identifies the facility, and also the location within the facility — such as a specific room, and in some instances, which rows in a facility — the Loop is active. The Loop Locator also utilizes Google Maps to provide directions to the facility.

The need for Hearing Loops has become more important than ever. Educational institutions (classrooms) are struggling to meet the needs of a growing number of teens and young adults with hearing impairments. Partial deafness once considered “an old person’s” disease is now becoming a health issue among young people. According to Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), there has been a 30% increase in hearing loss in teens and young adults. A 2017 report from Johns Hopkins researchers states the number of American adults living with some form of hearing loss is expected to nearly double by 2060.

Over 100 hearing loops have been installed in concert halls, corporate offices, educational institutions, religious and senior living facilities by New England Hearing Loop throughout New England. Some high profile installations by New England Hearing Loop include: The Massachusetts State House, Boston City Council Chambers, Providence State House, Bowdoin College, Brown University, Wellesley College, Boston Symphony Hall, TD Garden, Riverwoods Retirement Community, and the Watertown Library.

About New England Hearing Loop

Founded in 2011, New England Hearing Loop, a division of Shanahan Sound & Electronics, Inc., is New England’s leading provider of assistive listening solutions, from hearing loop to frequency modulation to infrared systems. Visit  http://www.newenglandhearingloop.com for the Loop & Listen Blog, and to learn more about hearing loops, current legislation, news and trends.

www.newenglandhearingloop.com
Contact: Catherine Shanahan
Telephone: 978-453-1556
Email: catherine@shanahansound.com

New England Hearing Loop Commemorates World Hearing Day March 3rd

March 3, 2018. Each year the World Health Organization (WHO), dedicates a day to hearing loss. This year’s theme is “Hear the Future” drawing attention towards the anticipated rise in the number of people living with hearing loss. Hearing loss isn’t always preventable, but with small changes in your habits and increased awareness on your part you can protect your hearing.

• Avoid loud sounds
  Limit your exposure to prolonged loud sounds. Noise-induced hearing loss is a result of the loudness of sounds and how long you hear them.

• Protect your ears from loud sounds
  Wear hearing protection. If you know you are going to be around loud noise cover up! Use your earplugs or earmuffs to protect yourself.

• Seek treatment if you have ear pain or other signs of infection
  Early diagnosis and treatment is key. Continual ear infections can cause permanent hearing loss. You should also see your doctor if you experience fullness, ringing in your ears or any sudden change in your hearing.

• Ask your doctor if the medicines you are taking might affect your hearing
  Be vigilant, know what the risks are involved when taking medications. Know all your options, ask if alternatives are available.

• Check your hearing regularly
  Be proactive, see your doctor to get a baseline hearing test. The sooner hearing loss is detected the sooner something can be done about it. Follow through with your doctor’s recommendations for regular hearing tests.

• Turn down the volume
  Never listen to music through headphones or ear buds with the volume turned all the way up. Use noise-cancelling headphones/earphones and only turn the volume up just enough to hear your music comfortably.

• Don’t Smoke
  Research shows that the use of tobacco can cause hearing loss.

So, as we recognize hearing loss day today, Hear Your Future, protect your hearing and change your habits.

What Does this Sign Mean?

This internationally recognized sign indicates to a person living with hearing loss that the facility where the sign is displayed has installed a hearing loop system. It lets a potential user know that they need to enable the T-coil on their hearing aid or ask for a receiver to clearly hear what’s going on at the venue. If your organization has installed a hearing loop, display the sign proudly! Don’t forget to add it your website.

Shanahan Awarded MHEC BID MC17-K02, Interpretation & Translation Equipment, Supplies and Services

We are so excited! Shanahan Sound & Electronics, the parent company of New England Hearing Loop has been awarded a contract for MHEC BID MC17-K02, Interpretation & Translation Equipment, Supplies and Services. Under this contract, Massachusetts Higher Education Consortium (MHEC) members will have access to hearing loop and speech transfer systems, equipment, installation and services. These systems are being installed in educational facilities throughout New England. Contact us for a complimentary demonstration.