Asking Your Venue for a Hearing Loop

Short answer

Ask for a hearing loop that covers every seat, measured against IEC 60118-4 when it’s finished, with signs and a few loan receivers, and Auracast™ broadcast audio added from the same sound feed now or later. A typical sanctuary or meeting room loop costs $3,500–6,000. Bring a one-page summary and a couple of funding ideas.

What a hearing loop does for you

A hearing loop sends the sound system straight into hearing aids and cochlear implant processors that have a telecoil, the setting usually marked T. You hear the person at the microphone clearly, without the room’s echo and noise, from your own seat, with nothing to borrow. Auracast does something similar for compatible phones, earbuds and newer hearing aids. Here’s what you’d do with each:

With a hearing loop

Hearing aids or cochlear implants with a telecoil

One-time setup: ask your audiologist to turn on the telecoil (T) program, if it isn’t already.
Switch to T with a button on the hearing aid, or a tap in its app, when you see the loop sign.
Listen from any seat in the looped area. Nothing to borrow, no pairing.

With Auracast

Compatible phones and earbuds, hearing aids that support Auracast, or a loan receiver

Open the list of broadcasts: the phone’s Bluetooth menu or the hearing aid’s app.
Pick the broadcast by its name, such as “Main Hall”, or scan the QR code on the sign.
Enter the code if the room uses a private broadcast, such as a courtroom.
Listen wherever the signal reaches. As of October 2026, iPhones can’t join an Auracast broadcast on their own; ask for a receiver instead.

Look for these signs at the door:

Assistive listening is available.

With a “T”: a hearing loop. Switch your hearing aid to its T or loop program.

What to ask for

A hearing loop that covers every seat where people listen, not just the front rows
Measured against IEC 60118-4 when it’s finished, with the readings in writing
Signs at the door with the hearing-loss symbol and a “T”, so telecoil users know to switch over
A few loan receivers with headphones and neckloops, for people without a telecoil
Someone on staff who knows how to check it before a service or meeting
Auracast added from the same sound feed, now or later, for phones, earbuds and newer hearing aids

The measurement matters most. A loop can be installed and signed and still be weak in the middle or buzzy, and only a meter shows it. Asking for the readings in writing is how a venue gets one that works.

Who has to provide it

In plain terms: when public bodies (city halls, courts, public libraries, schools) and businesses open to the public (theaters, auditoriums, many senior living communities) build or alter a room with a sound system, the 2010 ADA Standards call for assistive listening, loan receivers and signs. In older rooms, the ADA’s effective-communication rules can still require it when someone asks. Churches are exempt from those ADA rules, though many add a loop because members need it. Our ADA guide has the details. General information, not legal advice.

What it costs, and who pays

As of October 2026, a loop for a typical sanctuary or meeting room up to about 300 seats costs $3,500–6,000 installed; a counter loop at a service desk from $1,500. Many are paid for with memorial gifts, service clubs such as Lions and Sertoma, or small community grants; the Center for Hearing Access funding page lists more. Our price guide explains what pushes a project higher.

A letter you can send

Copy this into an email or a note, and change the words in brackets.

Dear [Pastor / Clerk / Director],

I have hearing loss, and I often can’t follow [the sermon / council meetings / programs] even with my hearing aids, because the sound has to cross the room before it reaches me. I know I’m not the only one.

A hearing loop would fix that for anyone whose hearing aids or cochlear implants have a telecoil: it sends the sound system straight to them, with nothing to borrow. Auracast can be added later for phones and newer hearing aids. A typical [sanctuary / meeting room] loop costs a few thousand dollars, and groups like the Lions and Sertoma have helped pay for them.

Would you consider getting a free budget range? I’d ask that any loop be measured against IEC 60118-4 when it’s finished, with the results in writing, and that it come with signs and a few loan receivers. I’d be glad to help.

Thank you,

[Your name]

Want something to hand over? Print our one-page summary for advocates, or, for a church, the one-page committee sheet.

How we can help

We’re glad to answer your questions, or your venue’s, at no charge: by text to 847-212-4216, by email to dave@equalaccessaudio.com, or on a video call with live captions. We can join a committee meeting by video, or in person when we’re nearby. Relay calls welcome; text works too.

Questions from listeners and advocates

My hearing aids don’t seem to work with the loop. What should I check?

First, whether your hearing aids have a telecoil and whether the telecoil (T) program is switched on; many are turned off at fitting, and your audiologist can turn it on. Then try a seat in the middle of the room. If a loan receiver sounds clear in the same seat but your aids don’t, it’s the setting. If nothing works anywhere, tell the venue: the loop may need repair.

Can you adjust my hearing aids or phone?

No. We work for venues, so your audiologist is the right person for your own devices. We’re glad to explain what to ask them, and to answer your venue’s questions.

Do you pay anything for referrals?

No. We don’t pay referral fees, so your advice to your venue stays your own. We’re simply glad to help you make the case.

Will you talk to my church or council for me?

We’d rather support you than go around you, but yes: we can answer your committee’s questions by text, email or a captioned video call, and join a meeting by video or in person when we’re nearby. There’s no charge for that conversation.

For listeners and advocates: asking your venue for a hearing loop