Why It's Important
| Peter Zellmer, AuD – Owner Haviland Hearing Aids Appleton WI | We had a hearing loop installed in our waiting room by Arrow Audio AV Group from Appleton. We now can quickly demonstrate how the loop works and validate telecoil settings. The best part is when we mute the TV; the client continues to hear while the spouse doesn’t hear a thing! Having a loop right in the office has made all the difference. |
| Don, a life-long parishioner at Peace Lutheran Church Oshkosh WI | This dear gentleman, up in his 90s and still working in his family owned clock business, was ALL smiles when he saw me (I was his former audiologist). He reports to be still doing well with the hearing aids I fit some 6+ years ago. Then he tells me that he thinks of me EVERY Sunday while using his hearing aids in the hearing loop at Peace Lutheran in Oshkosh. Wow! That comment made me smile too. |
| Carol W HLAA2015 National Convention MO | I experienced looping for the first time at the HLAA 2015 Convention in St. Louis, MO and was blown away. The stress melted from my body not having to strain to hear. I haven’t felt that way in years! |
| Liz B Marriott Theater at Lincolnshire, IL | HI, Juliette, Just a quick note via e-mail rather than Facebook! Yes, I’m in Chicago right now while my husband is here on business. On Sunday I went to the Lincolnshire theater and saw “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.” The loop system was WONDERFUL! I cannot tell you how impressed I was with the overall quality……….yes! I’ve always loved theater which became lost to me as my hearing declined. After my CI I was able to get back to it, but it was never as clear as was Sunday’s performance with the loop, music and all. We’ll head back to Arizona soon with a goal of looping a meeting place in the near future……smile………… You are doing great work. Liz |
| Barbara Bajurny Southwick, Massachusetts | Three years ago a dear friend of mine and hearing aid user, Carole, suggested I attend the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) convention in Providence, Rhode Island. While there, I met so many people with similar background as mine. For the first time, I realized that I was not alone in my journey dealing with my hearing loss. It was there when I met David Myers who spoke to us about “Loop America” and introduced Juliette Sterkens as the HLAA hearing loop advocate during his keynote address. It was there at the Grand Ballroom where David and Juliette spoke when this friend told me to switch my hearing aids to the T-coil/telephone/telecoil mode setting. We were sitting in the very back end of the ballroom. For the first time in my life, I was able to hear every single word David and Juliette spoke without having to read their lips or rely on interpreters, etc. I got goosebumps! I will never forget that day as long as I live. It was June 21, 2012. Thank you, Carole, and thank you Juliette and Dave for this golden opportunity. |
| Sue B. Spouse of a hearing loop user. Oshkosh WI | Thank you Juliette, The TV hearing loop has made such a difference for my husband. Now when I miss a word or sentence in a show, I ask him what was said and he usually always hears what I missed. Great difference for me, too, volume is normal again! |
| Laura G. Sarsfield, parent of two children who use CIs Georgia Commission on Hearing Impaired and Deaf Persons Atlanta GA | They love it! The first night, some of the comments I heard my daughter say: “Mom this is soooo much better!” “So THAT’S what they’re saying there!” “I love how that commercial sounds! (It was one with lots of nature sounds in it.) My kiddos are very successful CI users and I was really thinking the loop would just help to make listening easier when there was lots of noise in the room, I never dreamed it would have this much of an impact overall. |
| Wayne Herrick Ontario, Canada | I recently attended the Cochlear America Celebration convention in San Diego, where I had a demonstration of a looped room connected to a TV. With my cochlear implant, the sound was very impressive. |
| Judy Wilson, HLAA member San Diego CA | “The meeting the other night showed me how miraculous they (t-coils) are. In the looped room, I heard every word Juliette said. What a revelation that speech in a meeting setting could sound that clear to me! It left me wanting more. Still definitely planning to have looping in our home” |
| Sr. R, bilateral hearing aid user Oshkosh WI | ”If people in church only knew how much better loops make us hear, they would have them installed. I stopped attending at St. R’s because I just cannot hear the sermon.” |
| Jill Villnow Amherst WI | My daughter is lying on my lap right now. We are watching “Cupcake Wars.” In our “pre-loop” days, she sat apart from us all, about two feet in front of the TV, so that she could hear better. It’s so much better with her on my lap! Thank you for helping to make our world better! |
| Jill Villnow Amherst WI | Yay! Yay! Yay! The kit arrived Friday and my husband and I had it installed and functioning in less than two hours! The look on our daughter’s face was PRICELESS when she realized we had looped our own living room! Absolutely amazing!! Thank you so much for your assistance!!! Jill Villnow |
| Christine Klessig – retired attorney Amherst Junction WI | Hearing loop technology has dramatically improved my hearing. I cannot say enough good about it. The elimination of background noise means that I don’t have to sit in the front row all the time. I can actually watch the power point screen instead of staring at the speaker’s face for lip reading cues. My husband and I can watch television together again because we have our own separate sound systems. … Since my first ‘AHA Moment’ of listening to the clear amplified sound provided by the T-coil, I have been trying to spread the word about this remarkable technology. The first hearing loop site in my county was at my home in our television room. Next came my church in Nelsonville. And recently the meeting room at the Portage County public library. …Hearing impaired people deserve to know about this technology and have more venues looped. It will enhance their quality of life – just as it has for me. |
| Vicki Denzin – mother of 2 girls who use hearing aids Neenah WI | The girls are loving it. We just have learned to have to turn the loop off when they go to bed so they don’t hear adult TV/movies, etc!!! They also have personal neck loops when using their IPODs and Nintendo DS’s. We are now considering looping our travel vehicle and including a microphone so the girls can actually hear conversations and answers to their questions while we are on the go. |
| Rick Molinski All Saints Lutheran Church WI | It is incredible how well I can hear at All Saints. I hear every word! People are missing out if they don’t use the hearing loop in church. |
| Dale Howe Neenah WI | Wow! |
| Rosemary Smith – Dean of the College of Nursing at UW-Oshkosh Oshkosh Convention Center WI | Having the speaker’s presentation going right into your hearing aids improves the quality of what you hear, what you retain and the amount of energy you expend to hear. I didn’t have to be in the first or second row to hear. I didn’t miss 30 or 40 percent of the presentation. I could experience what a normal hearing person could experience. |
| Dorothy Simons Emmanuel United Church of Christ Oshkosh WI | I used to clap when others clapped. I used to laugh when others laughed though I usually didn’t hear what it was about. Now I hear every word in church. I absolutely love the hearing loop. |
| Jerome Grunwald Algoma Boulevard United Methodist Church Oshkosh WI | The hearing loop is the best thing they ever done at our church! |
| Barb Hill St Thomas Episcopal Church Neenah/Menasha WI | Juliette: I can’t convey in words how I felt this morning in church. I heard every word, no matter where the clergy stood or sat. What a thrill to finally hear a sermon. And it was clear as a bell…no echo, no reverberations. I am so grateful to you. You have given me such a great gift and I am so grateful to you, and God! Sincerely, Barb |
| Meta Ginnow Omro WI | The hearing loop lets me hear the minister without any background noise. Best of all, I am able to do this with my 8 year old hearing aid without any extra cost! All I have to do in church is push a button and I can hear. |
| Gwenn Jessen St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Omro WI | In my opinion, the loop is working very well at St Mary, Omro. I went to Ash Wednesday service and the whole homily went right in my hearing aid! Now I feel I have no excuse not to fast and abstain and repent. What fun is that going to be? And it’s all your fault. ;o) Take care and have a good weekend. Gwenn |
| Merlin Loberg First English Lutheran Church Wi | Putting the hearing loop in First English is the best thing they have done. Now I can hear and understand the pastors so much better and feel like going to church! |
| Dorothy Beebe St Mary’s Catholic Church in Omro Wi | Hi Juliette, I went to a service at St. Mary’s church in Omro, which has been looped. It is wonderful. I could understand most everything, especially women’s voices, which I usually have trouble with. Keep up the good work. |
| Tanya Schwartz-Roeper Ripon Wi | On December 19th I attended the Chamber Singers Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. I was invited by a friend to attend this special event and it was my first time at Trinity Episcopal Church. I am 45 years old and have a severe hearing impairment. As I was struggling to hear the words of the speaker presenting the first lesson I remembered that my audiologist, Juliette, mentioned that a few churches in Oshkosh have recently installed the hearing loop system. I took a chance and pressed the button on my hearing aid to activiate the T-coil. I was pleasantly surprised that it worked and I heard every word of every speaker. As a hearing impaired person I miss out on so much and face challenging “hearing” situations everyday. I just want you to know that attending this event was one of the highlights of the holiday season. |
| Norm Diel Calvary Lutheran on 9th Ave in Oshkosh WI | I went to Calvary Lutheran Church on Feb 25 (Ash Wednesday. I sat in the center section on the left side and 3 rows from the back. I could hear every word that was said. I turned off my hearing aid once and was amazed at the difference. I think every church should get a loop system. It works great! |
| Hazel Mack Grace Lutheran Church in Omro Wi | Hi Juliette & Max, I wanted to phone you but the tears would not stop flowing. These were tears of happiness. One of the reasons I like the loop is because I made a new friend. This hearing loop has given me so much happiness in a short time. Sunday December 27th was my first experience with the new loop. Pastor Bartholomew walked down the center isle. He said to everyone quote: You can’t see any wires or no external speakers but the people with hearing aids know what I am talking about. You can thank Hazel Mack. Then he said, Hazel can you hear? Yes ! Yes! was my answer. On the other side of the church sitting next to my friend Audrey, a stranger to me, said to Audrey: WHAT EVER THEY DID IT WORKED FOR ME TOO I can REALLY HEAR GOOD. Hazel Mack |
| A St. Mary’s in Omro parishoner offered this unsollicited compliment St. Mary’s Omro WI | Thank you so much for helping people with hearing aids hear better. It made a big difference to my mother-in-law last month when she was able to hear every word at the confirmation service of our son at St Mary’s in Winneconne. |
| Jeanne Clasen St. Mary’s Winneconne WI | My husband Ed and I both use hearing aids. Ed can now finally hear the homily! I asked him “Honey, can you hear what Father Jason is saying?” and he answered: “What the …., of course!” We just love the loop system both at the church and for our TV at home! THANK YOU! |
| Dorothy Yaroch St Mary’s Winneconne WI | This hearing loop “perks my ears up”. It is great to hear the Mass preachings, the Priest’s & Sr. Pam’s witty remarks and the homily at St Mary’s church in Winneconne along with the religious songs. The best thing is that I can do all this without hearing the background noises or the babies crying! But I am not alone: I know other hard of hearing people are enjoying the loop at church too! |
| Bud Schoenrock Martin Luther Evangelical in Oshkosh WI | What do I like the most about my hearing aids? GOING TO CHURCH! |
| Peggy Karls for her mother Gertrude Ruedinger St. Katherine Drexel in Kaukauna Wi | On August 9th, 2009 I took my mother who lives in Oshkosh to St Katherine Drexel church, Kaukauna, for Mass. In her words, “I could hear every word, and this is the first time that’s happened in years.” She went on to say how much more she got out of the service and realized how much she had been missing. Thank you Juliette for your determination, and caring for those with hearing loss. |
| Trinity Episcopal Church Jim Killinger, DDS (retired) – Oshkosh WI | Juliette,I would be very pleased to offer my experience with the loop technology project for Trinity Episcopal Church in Oshkosh. I first needed to establish the need for the project by giving our church directory to Fox Valley Hearing Center. I gave the same directory to a friend, who gave it to his audiologist. I arrived at a number,no names, that could benefit from the project. I asked a few people, if they would like to help finance the idea, and they all did. I received permission from the Vestry to proceed. I volunteered to “help” Max with the installation, which was most interesting. He is a “real professional”, and his engineering background didn’t hurt either. We were finished in 1 1/2 days, and used it for the first time last Sunday–5-3-09. I told four people that we were going “live”, and had four very positive responses after the service. We are very thankful to Juliette and Max for investing their time and effort in making this technology available to people like us with “batteries in our ears” |
| Martin Luther Evangelical Church Oshkosh WI | This is the best I have heard at our church! Mr.D.P. Oshkosh |
| St Katharine Drexel -St Mary’s site Kaukauna WI | This is probably the first time in 20 years that I have been able to hear the sermon clearly. The hearing loop at St Mary’s is more than I expected. William Schmidt, Kaukauna |
| First Congregational Church Oshkosh WI | Dear Juliette,I wore my hearing aid for the Easter Service and to my surprise I heard every word the minister said. It sure made a difference to hear him instead of just sitting there wondering what he said. How did you ever think this one up? You both should get credit for that: Your husband a pat on the back and you a big kiss! Thanks again, Mrs. Jeanette Schlaak |
| All Saints Episcopal Church Appleton WI | Dear Juliette, Max, Father Patrick, and Holly, Thank you all so much for helping make this hearing loop a reality for All Saints Episcopal Church in Appleton. This morning during the 10 a.m. service I was thrilled beyond imagination when I turned on my Telecoil sound and heard with such wonderful clarity the spoken word. Churches and many other large meeting areas invariably have so much background noise that even the best of hearing aids won’t help unless the meeting room has a hearing loop installed and one is able to turn on a Telecoil. Now our church members, those of us who have only partially heard The Word of God, will think of you who helped make this project a reality. Hearing and understanding is so so wonderful. Thank you so much, Douglas H. Grant M.D. |
| Algoma Blvd UMC Oshkosh WI | I have attended the first worship services at Algoma Blvd UMC since the hearing loop has been installed. For me, it’s GREAT! I can hear everything perfectly. Thank you. Rev. Merlin Hoeft |
| Rev. Merlin Hoeft Evergreen Retirement Community WI | I attended the service in the chapel at Evergreen, I sat near the fire place and I was able to hear every word! |
| Ken Cook Oshkosh WI | My church recently installed a hearing loop which literally surrounds the sanctuary with sound. Heretofore, hearing impaired churchgoers were limited to using an FM receiver which picked up from the church’s sound system. This new approach is vastly superior. I am delighted to be able to use my hearing aids’ t-coil to hear everything in the service, often with more clarity and accuracy than even those with good hearing. For example, at a recent morning’s service I could hear clearly the words of a woman who spoke into the mike in a whisper. Attendees with normal hearing told me after the service that they could not hear her. My thanks to all who have made this enhancement to my worship experience possible. |
| John Procknow, MD (retired) Oshkosh WI | I now have three rooms in my home that are equipped with loop systems and it is very gratifying to adequately hear and understand the news, sportscasts and movies once again. |
| Calvary Lutheran Church Oshkosh WI | “Since the loop system has been installed in Calvary Church, I have been attending regularly again. I now can understand the sermons.” – Mrs. R. Oshkosh WI |
| Algoma Blvd United Methodist Church Oshkosh WI | I am a member of Algoma Blvd. Church. What I experienced last Sunday was nothing short of a miracle. For the very first time in many, many years I was able to hear every single word said in church along with every note of music. I cannot express my thankfulness in words. It was truly one of my most memorable moments in my life and I felt “normal.” Thank you. Chris Prust – Oshkosh |
