Loops4Hearing

07/30/2026

From IEPs and 504s to accommodation requests at college -- for parents, students and educators:

COLLEGE:
I've been asked to share my experience with requesting accommodations and accessibility options for my kids who have hearing loss, now that they are both attending college.

Most of what was needed was done long before the day they committed to their prospective universities.

For parents, it is all of the things you'll do from K-12, that will pay the huge dividends.

Make your advocacy sturdy and solid. Make sure to model it for your child.

Leading up to college, we worked with our audiologist to create a list of things we asked the universities to provide.

Here is a small snap shot of some of the accommodations we requested:

•Access to classrooms with appropriate acoustical modifications to minimize background noise;

•Access to priority registration as needed to ensure placement in appropriate classrooms with appropriate instructors;

•Access to preferential seating in instructional classes;

We designed a Digital Resource Guide with a list of accommodations here:

https://www.mybattlecall.com/shop/p/accommodation-digital-worksheet-for-deaf-hard-of-hearing-college-students
•••••

My kids worked directly with their college disability services coordinators to fine-tune the list.

They requested more than they might need (because it is easier to take things away than to add them).

Throughout the journey, I recommend parents slowly pass the torch to your kids in increments, encouraging them to use their voice to ask for what they need.

I encourage parents to lay the groundwork now (no matter the grade level) in their IEP's & 504s. Those will serve as your future guides.

I cannot stress enough how important it is for your kids to watch you model what advocacy looks like.

Work as a team with those who are involved in providing their accommodations. These people are on your team!

Rest assured, I was a typical mom, who worried about the typical things: Will they get along with their roommates, will they get enough sleep, what will happen when they get sick.

Sure, they might have equipment issues and parts that malfunction, but at the end of the day, I mostly feel like they're typical kids--who with proper accommodations-- are set up to thrive!

©️Valli Gideons on My Battle Call

07/27/2026

Discover how Title III of the ADA ensures equal access and effective communication through assistive listening systems in places of public accommodation.

07/26/2026

🤟👌 Did you know that your child who is deaf or hard of hearing can ...

07/26/2026

People with "normal hearing" don't mind poor acoustics, background noise and distractions to a clear audio experience. Or do they?  We will know more soon -- if venues invest in newer technologies like Auracast, better acoustic design and more thorough staff training.

Advocates for assistive hearing Loops have been knocking on doors for two decades, trying to convince owners and managers to do the right thing and invest in hearing loop systems. In just one category, live theater spaces, their  success rate is 450 theaters out of 12,000 across the US. Hopefully, with Auracast, outcomes will be more positive and we will all benefit from more inclusive, barrier-free and hearing-friendly spaces.


Auracast is the likely future of hearing access in public spaces. While questions remain about the timing of venue rollout and the speed of the hearing aid replacement cycle, the direction is increasingly clear: Auracast will provide clean, clear sound in movie theaters, airports, lecture halls, jur...

07/03/2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) is seeking public input on whether current methods used to evaluate occupational hearing loss remain the most reliable and appropriate, opening the door to a broader discussion about the role of o...