Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
loss with each of those barriers to com-
munication. Chapter 4 is an overview of
personal amplification such as hearing
aids and implantable devices. Features
of hearing aids that aid listening in dif-
ficult acoustic environments are included
(e.g., directional microphones and digital
noise reduction). Explanations of how
newer technologies, such as wireless com-
munication, have been harnessed for use
with personal amplification will help the
reader understand the role of personal
amplification, both its usefulness and
limitations. Rounding out the first sec-
tion is Chapter 5 on assessing the needs
of an individual in terms of assistive tech-
nologies for communication. The World
Health Organization's health classification
model is introduced, along with ideas for
implementing that model in audiology,
which helps identify an individual's activ-
ity limitations and participation restric-
tions that need to be addressed.
Section Two consists of a group of
chapters dedicated to various hearing
assistive technologies (HATs). Chap-
ter 6 addresses frequency-modulated
(FM) devices and the many uses for
them. Chapter 7 contains an explana-
tion of how induction technology works.
Also included in this chapter are uses
for induction loops, telecoil use in hear-
ing aids, cochlear implants, and bone-
anchored implants, and an explanation of
how assistive devices can employ telecoils
to interface with personal amplification.
Chapter 8 explains how an infrared (IR)
signal is used to convey sound across a
space, as well as various devices available
for home and public space use. Chapter 9
introduces the reader to various wireless
technologies, some quite familiar such
as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and others less
familiar to many in 2014, such as near-
field communication (NFC).
Section Three is dedicated to access
through telephones, to television pro-
grams and movies, and to alerting and
signaling devices for various situations.
Chapter 10 covers access to and through
various forms of telephones and other
telecommunications. Text-based tech-
nologies and software and equipment
that offer access to the spoken word
through speech-to-text and text-to-text
translation are presented in Chapter 11.
In this chapter, read about access avenues
such as closed captioning and an app
that provides live speech-to-text transla-
tion. Closed captioning can be used both
offline, to caption recorded program-
ming, and in real time, for access to live
events. Chapter 12 has material about
alerting/signaling technologies that can
be important for both safety and envi-
ronmental information. “Mobile phone
tips” are included for many of the device
types discussed in this chapter, given that
mobile phones have become ubiquitous
and essential for so many people.
Finally, Section Four contains three
informative chapters that did not quite fit
in the previous three sections. The reader
will find Chapter 13 useful because of
the seven case studies, which, together,
display a variety of people, settings, and
needs for different types of hearing assis-
tive and access technologies. This chapter
will help readers “put it all together” as
they read about several pieces of equip-
