NIC’s Stan Hagen Theatre At Forefront For Assistive Listening Technology

NIC’s Stan Hagen Theatre is undergoing a retrofit to make it more accessible for hearing aid users.

A B.C. company, Advanced Listening, has been adapting the venue with technology to improve the listening experience for students, audience members and others.

NIC says the work is part of its commitment to make the college environment more accessible.

The Stan Hagen Theatre project is two-fold with one part looking toward the analog past and one toward the digital future.

The company installed technology known as an Induction Hearing Loop in the floor that broadcasts audio signals using an analog antenna wire that can be picked up by Telelcoil receivers built into hearing aids.

As well as theatres, it is often used in facilities like churches, conference halls, government chambers, courtrooms and even at retail or service counters.

The loop can be used in large or small venues, but it is also appropriate for one-on-one conversations.

The other part of the job included the installation of new Bluetooth technology that expands the availability of assistive listening for people with hearing loss and is designed to take into account users with all levels of hearing health.

The theatre opened at the Comox Valley campus in 1992.

Along with college programming, the 200-seat theatre is a community use facility and provides a venue for a number of events and groups.

For more information, visit NIC.