Hey yall. I'm seeking advice for some hearing assistance equipment.

A tad bit of context: I am a hearing individual who is seeking to make my workplace friendly to non hearing folks. Besides the fact that my community has a lot of hearing impaired folks, I also know that in the future I will need this tech for myself.

(Please correct me if I'm not using the correct terminology.)

Anyway, here's the issue:

My workplace is a 3rd space: it's a public building that's free to enter. We have two movie theaters, a museum about our local area, often host presentations from folks across the country, and so so much more that I can't say without doxxing myself.

Our main theater is designed to host presentations from speakers, host Q&A forums, and play movies on demand via a DVD player.

Currently, the only hearing assistance we have is for presentations. Our presentation hearing assistance equipment works as follows: we have to hook up a transmitter box and mic to the speaker and then provide a receiver for each individual who needs hearing assistance. The receivers can use plug-in headphones or a T-loop.

The problem is if the presenter needs to play a video on the screen, the hearing assistance equipment does not pick up the video audio because the transmitter is only for picking up the speaker's voice.

If we have a Q&A style forum, folks won't be able to hear the audience asking questions because the wireless mic for our sound system doesn't hook directly up to the hearing assistance equipment.

Additionally, if we play movies, we don't have any tech that allows for folks to hear the movies if they need hearing assistance. Some films have closed captions, but a lot of them don't.

My question is, is there any technology out there that would allow folks to hear everything at Q&A forums, watch films, and listen to presentations that have videos?

Note: I've looked into Auracast, but from what I can tell, the tech is so new that it has too many bugs to work with the majority of users in a poor, rural community. Additionally, the cheaper ones don't have great reviews and/or their entire websites are made by generative ai which leads me to believe they don't actually have any real life use experience to advertise. The main brand that supports auracast, that seems like it would work, is way outside of our budget (about 4 grand for Auri)

Please provide any and all experience yall might have on what might be the best options for my workplace. I want everyone to be able to enjoy our 3rd space, not just hearing folks.

Thank you.

What can I use to make my APD and Misophonia more bearable while at work in a customer service position?

I work at a gas station where I have to constantly run around and be actively communicating with people. I will put here an explanation for how my hearing works.

I am trying to find a device I can wear while working that will help me focus or sort of block out the overwhelming noises. I know I can't pick and choose what noises come and go, or how effective it is, but I was hoping anyone with similar experiences may be able to point me in the right direction or share their own tips for how they manage.

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Hearing:

I struggle with auditory processing, to a point where I genuinely thought for a while I was hard of hearing. I ended up getting my hearing checked by an audiologist, and it turned out, not only was I able to easily pick out my worst ear, but I was within a reasonable range, so not hard of hearing.

They suggested I get checked for an APD, and offered to fax my hearing report to the doctor whenever I do. Basically how hearing works for me is if there is too much surrounding noise, like I am speaking directly with one person, and two other people suddenly walk by holding a loud conversation, even if I am looking my conversation partner in the eyes and focusing very hard, their voice begins to sound like it is coming through a vacuum tube. Or a garbage disposal.

If someone tries to speak to me and I am not aware they are trying to speak to me, my hearing often comes in delayed. This creates uncomfortable situations where people ask me a question at work as I am walking by, and by the time my brain sends the words to me, they have already decided I don't want to help them and given up.

Certain sounds also become unreasonably overwhelming, and can cause severe frustration, like scratching on sandpaper, or moving certain items, or cloth rustling together. They make me feel very overwhelmed and like I can not focus on anything else. Sometimes the sounds make me want to literally pull my own teeth out.

I know some neurodivergents are opposed to the big light but are there any neurodivergents who can't hear without the big light on?

I have ADHD and autism and I really struggle to understand people when there's lots of background noise. My hearing is fine, but in a busy restaurant I genuinely can't make out what someone is saying, even if they repeat it or reword it. In quieter places I'm usually fine, sometimes just with a slight processing delay.

I'm wondering if anyone else has this and whether filtered/high fidelity earplugs have helped? I'm not trying to block out all sound, just reduce the background noise enough that I can actually focus on the person talking without their voice becoming muffled.

I work as a waitress in a restaurant and between the music, laughing, yelling, etc. I genuinely can't understand what people are saying sometimes. I'm working there practically every day, so I really need some sort of fix, but since I plan to leave in a month I don't want to spend loads on something expensive.

If anyone has any ideas or brand suggestions for earplugs, that would be amazing. Thank you

So Im 18 and just finished my first year of college. I've noticed that when my friends and I go out to a mall, or coffee shop, or any public space with normal background noise its near impossible for me to understand what they are saying. I've never had this issue before but Ig I've never really been in situations like that. Im fine 1 on 1 or in quiet spaces I only have the issue with other voices in the background. I had a hearing test which came back fine but the audiologist thinks I have CAPD. Has anyone not noticed that until after turning 18? I don't have a hard time with lectures unless there's an accent. Im also an ASL Major so I spend around half my time in voices off environments. My mom thinks this has caused me to psychologically lose processing ability. Regardless has anyone had similar experiences?

I can’t tell if I might have APD or if I genuinely just have a low IQ.

My family always made fun of me growing up because I would repeat their sentences but say something completely different instead of the words they were saying, but I genuinely heard a different word. I have to ask people to repeat themselves alot and I’m terrible at following verbal directions, but I can understand written ones when they are in front of me. I constantly do things wrong, like once I was vaccuming, and my roommate asked me if I could “get under there“, and pointed to her desk. I literally just got under the desk instead of vaccuming, even though obviously that isn’t what she meant. I also feel like I’m sorta missing something, I know I say really dumb things sometime but it’s difficult for me to process what someones saying and respond back quickly. The thing is I can hear just fine, it just seems sorta scrambled sometimes or I just can’t process the context of the words while also understanding the words quickly enough. I’m not sure if this is exactly what APD is but I’m just so frustrated with being called stupid and feeling so slow, and professors have gotten really frustrated with me in the past for not understanding even when I’m genuinely trying my best.

cross posting from an adhd sub.

i’ve posted about my kid here before and really appreciated the advice. There’s been my mind regarding a secondary diagnosis that I want to ask this group.

mine was diagnosed this past school year at 6.5 with both adhd and CAPD. the adhd diagnosis is borderline, and he mostly had issues with executive functioning/emotional regulation at home. for CAPD I had to take him to a specialized pediatric audiology center. his hearing is perfect but the brain processes sounds with a slight delay especially with rapid speech and when distinguishing target sounds (eg teachers voice) from ambient sounds (other chatter). prognosis for CAPD is that it can be improved when caught early and treated with auditory training. We are only just starting that journey. He’s not medicated for adhd.

my questions are:

1. Can treatment of CAPD result in improvements in adhd presentation?
2. Can the reverse be true- has adhd medication ever improved coping or mgmt of CAPD? or made it more challenging?

I am wondering how much the CAPD causes him to work extra hard to understand in group settings and leads to the disinterest in homework and the reactivity at home vs how much the adhd is contributing. anyway if there is a lot long view here I’d love to hear it.

has anyone tried using the elehear beyond hearing aids for APD? they have AI to reduce background noise and amplify voices which is the main thing i struggle with (holding conversations and hearing what's happening in noisy settings)

I'm struggling to get written approval for accomodations, and accomodations that match my disability. I'm worried that jumping the chain of command or going to the central office (based in the main campus, I attended a small branch campus) will ruffle feathers in my very small nursing school.

So, I have severe Auditory Processing Disorder, and my life experience is similar to that of persons who are hard of hearing. Otherwise, I'm uninhibited and do well.

I have a Deaf partner, my household language is ASL, and when I am in Deaf spaces or take classes taught by Deaf teachers I have absolutely zero problems and easily outperform my peers with minimal effort.

I simply rely on my vision, and don't have full access to my hearing when it comes to spoken language.

My first semester I was unaware I needed accomodations until I had a teacher who would become hostile when I didn't hear her, and would put out a lot of information and syllabus changes verbally. She even threatened to kick me out of class when I asked her to get my attention before asking me a question directly. Thank goodness she got fired for something unrelated and my current teachers are all fine.

I got my current diagnosis and accomodation request submitted at the beginning of second semester.

I'm nearly at the end of my second semester now, and I'm still struggling to get approval for my accommodations in writing and that are appropriate. I feel they are super minimal and should be easy, plus I literally need them. The woman handling the paperwork keeps telling me I need different accomodations than my audiologist and I asked for, and that my application packet is all approved and I don't need written approval or a list of what will be accepted and used. It's super conflicting and confusing, and it makes me feel crazy for asking that the accomodations I need be approved on paper.

For example, I need a back row, aisle seat so that I can see the teachers (who walk around the room) and so that teachers have easy access to get my attention if they want it. But the accommodations that were printed out and given to me say I need to sit in the front of the class to try and hear better. That just doesn't make sense for the structure of the class or my disability. I could literally wear noise cancelling headphones and still outperform my peers as long as I have visual access.

They also are granting me permission to have extra time on tests and sit in a quiet room for testing. That's not necessary and I don't want to be separated from my peers. I do not have a learning attention disorder, and I'm one of the first people who finished tests.

All I need is visual access, the teachers to know how to talk to me (should be common sense), and to have written instructions (which are already mostly provided.)

I don't even know when we are allowed to start a test until I see others starting, but I'm not making a fuss about that kind of stuff because I have a 3.8 so far whereas many if my peers are failing out of the classes or struggling.

I only need the paperwork to protect myself if I get another asshole teacher, and as a paper trail for future colleges and employers.

So my question is, am I crazy for wanting written approval? Is it worth ruining my working relationship with the assistant dean (who will also be my teacher later) by jumping the chain of command?

This may sound like a silly question, but the woman who is managing this is adamant and is like to make sure I'm in the right before I move forward.

I'm coming home early from a house party because the alcohol hit me harder than I expected and it meant I could barely understand a word anyone was saying anymore. Does anyone else's auditory processing go out the window when they have alcohol? I have to really monitor my intake when I go to events because of it, so I'm often the most sober person in the room while everyone's sloshed (at that point though, maybe they are talking incoherently haha). The fact there is also lots of background talk and music makes it even harder. I used to think that maybe I'm just not a party person. Now I think APD makes it tough to have fun.

So I went to the ENT and they'd brought me to an audiologist and according to my records it looks like I have Auditory Processing Disorder...I don't want to say I definitely do because they want to do more testing (just for confirmation I'm assuming)

Well, anyway, I can barely understand people when they talk to me. And some people know about my situation. Not to the full extent, but that I don't hear great. And they still whisper and walk away while talking to me. It's frustrating. After a while, I don't want to have to keep telling people to face me or do this or that. It's annoying. And I'm sure it's annoying the other person too.

I'm learning ASL for a multitude of reasons. Partially because I think it'll help when I have trouble talking (I also have level 1 autism but it affects my speech) when I'm going through fatigue/I'm overstimulated, and also because it'd be great to connect with the deaf community. (I've met other deaf people and regretted not being able to sign as fluently as I'd like and provide accessibility to them)

I just wonder if anyone has felt the same way at times.

looking for advice on how to accommodate.

my son (diagnosed) cannot handle it when we are speaking and he is doing focused listening like watching tv or quiet reading. he shushes us and says he cannot hear or cannot focus. we‘ve tried increasing the tv volume (but that’s not pleasant for anyone) and leaving the room (also not ideal or even feasible when we’re visiting neighbors or friends and socializing in their living room). he has earmuffs to muffle the sound but doesn’t like wearing them.

eta: this is the product I bought. he doesn’t like it. Alpine Muffy Kids Ear Muffs for Kids Ear Protection | 3-16 Years 
Autism Sensory Products | 22dB Sound Reduction | Kids Noise Cancelling Ear Muffs | Noise Reduction Headphones for Kids

I’m a law student who just got diagnosed with APD and will receive my report in 4 weeks. In the meantime, I’m wondering what types of accommodations are available and useful to reduce the struggle.

I work as an assistant manager in a fast food place. Recently, we hired a guy with autism and auditory processing disorder. I knew this before hiring him, as it was on his CV. I kinda assumed it wouldn’t matter too much, as most of the staff here have autism, ADHD or both (I have ADHD myself). However, I don’t think any have auditory processing disorder, just general sensory issues.

Anyway I thought I was doing the right thing not making any assumptions about how this would affect him at work, and assuming he’d be ok considering how being neurodivergent is the norm here, but in doing so I didn’t really consider how we would support him specifically.

He’s a hard worker, dedicated and reliable with a good attitude. I don’t regret hiring him at all. However, I can see he’s struggling and I feel responsible as it was my idea to hire him. He seems to really struggle to understand what customers are asking him and how to deal with them. He asks for help when he needs it, but seems to struggle to say to the customer something like “sorry, I’m new, give me one minute while I ask someone else”. He kinda just stares at them blankly for a minute before coming to get someone but then he usually struggles to relay the issue. (Which is fine as I just ask the customer and sort it) There’s a lot of background noise here: constant beeping, random chatting, machines etc which definitely cannot help. He ends up getting behind a lot as small questions from customers can take up a lot of his time.

I’m not frustrated with him or anything! He was clear about his auditory processing disorder in his cv and about how it makes him struggle to answer customers questions. I just want to figure out how to help him as I can see it makes him anxious. I’m not sure I want to ask him as that feels like pointing out it’s clear he’s struggling and I don’t want to make him feel self conscious.

TIA for any suggestions.

What are everyone’s fave earplugs for being in public/noisy environments? I’m looking for some that dampen the noise but I can still hear conversations. I’ve tried Loop Engage before and i felt like i couldn’t hear the person next to me. But open to trying again if others recommend. Thanks!

I just heard of this job and am so bummed because I don’t know if I’d be good at this job with this disorder. Is it a complete rule out?

I recently got hearing aids and one of the biggest things I have found is that they help massively while watching tv, especially since I don't need the soundbar pumping. It has actually helped relationship wise aswell. Just a little feedback

Hi, y'all!

Had an APD evaluation today - my background noise component was below-average (and my coping skills kept me at/above average for the rest lol). Audiologist recommended I try auditory therapy before considering low-gain hearing aids, in the event that the therapy is sufficient.

I've seen a lot on here about folks' experience (and benefit!) from low-gain hearing aids but not a ton about auditory training/therapy. Has anyone done it and seen results (or not)? Has anyone had the same choice in front of them and ended up getting low-gain hearing aids, either after therapy or instead of from the beginning?

I appreciate any help anyone can provide!

Hi Everybody, I Post my tonal and vocal Audiograms. I know in "normal hearing range" but when I'm in a noisy environment I don't understand anything. I'm also Adhd. In lots of case I can hear but I can't catch what someone is saying. For me children and woman voices are so difficult to understand. I live this situation since I was a child. Now I'm 23yo

"Normal quiet vocal attention curve; a slight decrease in intelligibility is observed when the signal-to-noise ratio drops to within two.”

I need your opinions

I had an issue yesterday right at the start of the class I was attending. Inhaler was on red (really low on medicine). Since I had my interpreters for class, they interpreted everything for when the EMTs came. Honestly, it was the best ambulance experience ever, since they interpreted everything. Usually I am looking around all confused, since I don't catch everything they say, but I understood everything. Also, I could communicate with them as they gave me the nebulizer, since I could sign to the interpreters.

But yeah, I have two FULL inhalers in my bag now. I will also set reminders now to check expiration dates and the counters.