Assistive listening devices. While some hard of hearing persons rely solely on their hearing aids, others find them inadequate in some environments, and choose to use an assistive listening device.

ALDs differ from each other in numerous respects, but they also have common features not shared by hearing aids. Like hearing aids, ALDs have transmitting and receiving components. However, whereas hearing aids package both these components in a single unit for wearing on the user's body, ALDs place the microphone/ transmitter unit at or near the source of the sound, e.g., speaker, musical performance. The transmitter sends the signal through the air or by cable to the receiver being worn by the user. This separation of the two components enables an ALD to:

• (a) amplify sound over a considerable distance,
  (b) provide clear sound over distances by eliminating echoes and reducing surrounding noises,
  (c) overcome poor sound quality when a microphone/public address system is in use,
  (d) amplify sound from several vantage points.

ASSISTIVE LISTENING DEVICES AND THE COLLEGE STUDENT

ALDs have been used for some time in elementary and secondary schools, where services are provided in accord with individual educational plans (IEPs), tailored to the needs of each hard of hearing student, and supported by a cadre of specialists. Thus, many of the students entering postsecondary institutions have already had exposure to an ALD in their previous schooling. Nonetheless, its use will be different in a college or university setting, given the greater size and enrollment, and the larger physical dimensions of many college classrooms.

ALDs are still relatively new in the postsecondary environment, as are many other disability-related services. Their use in postsecondary settings has grown as a means of providing access to ensure student success and to fulfill the institution's legal responsibilities.

Hard of hearing students may also find other significant differences from their experiences in the K-12 setting. Special education services that may have been routinely available during their earlier education are not necessarily offered on college campuses, e.g., speech-language services, audiology services, or resource room assistance. The full range of professional expertise among personnel in public schools for meeting the communication needs of hard of hearing pupils is unlikely to exist on college campuses.

Another key difference could be that, while attending college, the student may be living away from home for the first time. The familiar audiologist and hearing aid dispenser who previously evaluated, fitted, and maintained the student's personal hearing aids and earmolds may be geographically inaccessible, and therefore the student experiences a disruption in community supports until new ones can be found.

Further, the hard of hearing student in the postsecondary setting is expected to be an adult. Thus, the student is expected to take greater responsibility for identifying and meeting his/her needs. Such a philosophical approach makes sense; however, it is also necessary to recognize that the level of skill in being able to identify and meet needs varies in different individuals.

Some hard of hearing persons may be unfamiliar with the use of ALDs or may be hesitant about their use. Others may have felt it was not necessary to use an ALD before but now find that previous auditory strategies no longer work in larger classes where more complex information is being shared. For some of these students, college will offer their first use of an ALD.

Other hard of hearing students may have had previous negative experiences with an ALD, finding the extra effort and maintenance burdensome, or finding that it interferes with their concentration and learning. For some students, it may be a matter of wanting to avoid being singled out as a person with a disability and being affected by the negative attitudes of others. Some worry that their lack of hearing will be misinterpreted as not being able to handle their academic studies with the same success as their hearing colleagues, and they do not want any negative bias to be reflected in evaluations of their academic performance. These dynamics need to be recognized in order to ensure that there are several possible points of decision-making about use of an auditory assistive listening system.

Student choice in the use of an ALD. It is a matter of student choice whether or not to use an ALD. While it may appear that a particular student would benefit from the use of a system, the individual student must choose whether to wear it; if he/she does not want to use an ALD, this choice must be respected, with the recognition that each hard of hearing person differs in his/her response to such devices.