Hospitals and health clinics will be required by Federal and Provincial Accessibility laws to comply with creating a space that is accessible for people who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. For more information, check out our 'Accessibility Laws' resource page above. 

​Accessible Hearing Solutions  helps improve accessibility by providing Hospitals and Health Clinics (such as pharmacies, physiotherapy clinics, and dental clinics) with site assessments. Site assessments educate health care centers about the best ways to improve communication and understanding in locations such as registrations desks, information desks, inpatient care,  meeting rooms, recreation rooms (e.g. television listening areas), retail sites, and auditoriums. Our assessments provide a written report detailing communication areas that are causing barriers for health care workers and patients and the best ways to improve accessibility.
For more information, contact us at [email protected].

Providing accessible for people who are Hard of Hearing is important because hearing loss is the second leading cause of years living with disability (YLD), second only to depression. It interferes with a patient’s or family member's ability to adhere to a management plan because it can hinders the ability to engage with physicians and allied health care professionals. It is also known that hearing loss interfere with accurate testing results (e.g. performing Mini-Mental State exam on patients who have untreated hearing loss). Please see the video below, featuring Dr. Frank Lin from Johns Hopkins, detailing the health impacts of age-related hearing loss. ​

Solutions to reduce barriers can include personal assistive listening devices (such as a pocket talker) for patients with untreated hearing loss to use while listening to medical staff, counter loop systems, FM  systems, staff training on communication strategies, closed captioning on informational videos, ASL translations for information videos, emergency notification systems, and/or alerting systems.
For more information contact [email protected].

Resources:
​Hearing Healthcare Toolkit for use in Primary and Geriatric Care. Weinstein & Taylor (2014). The Graduate Center City University of New York.
http://unitron.com/content/dam/unitron-2014/Non-Searchable%20Documents/US/Hearing%20Healthcare%20Toolkit/HHCP/3605%20MANL%20WP_Hearing%20Healthcare%20Toolkit%20CUNY.pdf
Effects of hearing and vision impairments on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment: 
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13825585.2014.968084?scroll=top&needAccess=true&journalCode=nanc20www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13825585.2014.968084?scroll=top&needAccess=true&journalCode=nanc20
Canadian Association of the Deaf: Position on Healthcare
​http://cad.ca/issues-positions/health-care/
Nursing Management of Hearing Impairment in Nursing Facility Residents
http://m3.wyanokecdn.com/6be57f6ce45c5132de329f50de492337.pdf
Identifying and supporting patients with hearing problems
https://www.chemistanddruggist.co.uk/feature/what-should-your-pharmacy-know-about-hearing-loss www.chemistanddruggist.co.uk/feature/what-should-your-pharmacy-know-about-hearing-loss

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What Our Clients Are Saying

“When we started on this journey towards broader accessibility, we had a lot to learn. We thought first of visible physical disabilities amongst our patrons. Our first projects involved lifts and ramps. The need for hearing assist technologies is massive, in all public facilities, not just cultural. Our average patron is 50+ and many have hearing challenges. There isn’t another area of accessibility improvement we could embrace that will impact more of our patrons. Janine and her team facilitated our project in so many ways, from needs assessment to education to securing funding to installation. Now that the technology is in place, she and the team will help us introduce it to our community. The collaboration with Accessible Hearing Solutions was instrumental in bringing this vision to life. The company provided not only the technology but also comprehensive training for staff, ensuring they can assist patrons in making the most of the hearing loops and assistive listening technology. This partnership underscores the Pictou Cultural Hub’s broader mission to break down barriers and create a truly inclusive space for everyone.” — Troy Greencorn, deCoste Performing Arts Centre​

"I feel like you’ve really detailed the challenges that I’ve had/have. Thank you for that. I feel acknowledged and witnessed in a way that I haven’t before" - 2024 Client

"You have been so very responsive and helpful to me any time I reach out for help and, for that, I am very grateful." - 2023 Client

​"We’ve really been enjoying our setup in our Council Chambers, and how it has improved everyone’s ability to hear during meetings" - 2021 Client