Court Program Accessibility - ADA and Washington State Information

Assistive Listening in the Courtroom

Assistive Technology in Courtrooms

FM System

This is a two-piece system where the speaker wears a microphone or is attached to the output of public address system and the individual(s) needing hearing assistance wears a receiver and headphone or a neckloop (if they wear a hearing aid with a T-coil).

 

Assistive Listening Systems and Devices
Large area FM based hearing assistance systems.
Personal FM systems for hearing assistance & CAPD.
Infrared assistive listening systems for multiplex facilities.
Neckloop loop  (Teleloop).
All systems ADA compliant.
The sound is transmitted from the court microphone via FM radio waves to the listener's receiver. These are the same FM waves that we use for listening to the radio (i.e. AM/FM radio) but transmitted on frequencies that are different from that used by local radio stations. FM systems are portable and easy to use. They can be used to accommodate single users or large groups depending on the need. sound is transmitted from the court microphone via FM radio waves to the listener's receiver.Infrared Systems.

Transmitter/Receiver/Neckloop $2200 These systems typically come with a headset or neckloop and a transmitter piece that will 'send' the sound to the headset or neckloop. One drawback is that they operate on line of sight only. You could inadvertently lose the light signal by turning your head or an attorney may block the line of site. The advantage of Infrared is that the there is no leak of sound into another room.

Loop System                                 

For individuals who wear hearing aids and have a T-coil (telecoil), a "loop system" in a courtroom will allow them to use their T-coil to receive sound directly to their hearing aids through the magnetic induction loop. Persons who are hard of hearing and do not have a hearing aid or whose aids are not equipped with a telecoil can access the "loop system" via a receiver and an ear piece or headset.

 

Personal Listening System

Many people will bring their own Personal Listening system with them. This facilitates one on one communication, but is not effective in a courtroom due to the distances involved and the noises in the court.

Closed Captioning (CC) is probably on your DVD or VCR system, just page through the menu to find it. Any movies shown in waiting rooms must have captioning

  

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