John Rennie High School, a secondary school in Quebec, Canada, has selected Listen EVERYWHERE for use in its theater to support assistive listening.
John Rennie High School decided to upgrade the audio in its Louise Chalmers Theatre during a recent renovation. It also sought to install assistive technology to accommodate students and guests with hearing loss.
Assistive listening systems retailer Oreille Bionique recommended Listen EVERYWHERE, an audio over Wi-Fi assistive listening system, and provided a demo unit for the high school to test in the theater. Listen EVERYWHERE streams live or recorded venue audio over wireless networks to smartphones. Users can listen via headphones connected to their smartphone, or by streaming sound from their smartphone directly to their hearing aids or cochlear implants. After a successful 30-day trial, John Rennie High School began the procurement process.
Now, students and other Louise Chalmers Theatre patrons who would like to use the Listen EVERYWHERE assistive listening system can download the Listen EVERYWHERE app on their smartphones, select a channel, tune into the sound in the theater, and listen to clear audio using their own headsets, earbuds, or hearing aids or cochlear implants.
“This means that anyone in the theater who wishes to use assistive listening can access what is being said on the stage with increased ease, enjoy the sound effects, listen to music being performed or played, as well as participate in a presentation,” said Tracey Green, MA, LSLS cert. AVEd, an itinerant educational specialist from The Montreal Oral School for the Deaf, who, with John Rennie High School math teacher and accessibility advocate Chris Webb, helped find an assistive listening system for the Louise Chalmers Theatre. “By having the audio sent directly to the listener, we can provide a clear audio feed which overcomes a poor acoustic environment for anyone listening, no matter their needs.”
John Rennie High School offers one of the most diverse curriculums available at the secondary level. The school has widespread access to technology, including a robotics lab, and now a theater that is fully accessible to individuals with hearing loss.
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“Equal access matters, and for those with hearing loss, assistive technology like Listen EVERYWHERE makes the sound accessible,” said Maile Keone, president and CEO of Listen Technologies. “Assistive listening systems make school assemblies, theater productions, musical presentations, and community events inclusive.”
