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Using hearing aids in aircraft

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The combination of several factors.

  • My Oticon streaming app is set up on my phone, not my iPad, because of issues with Bluetooth “competing” on my iPhone and iPad.

  • To preserve rechargeable battery life

  • I like portable, folding headphones that I can pack in my backpack for travel. I’ve had trouble finding good, folding wired headphones. Most in the in-the-ear, iPod styles fall out of my ears. When my last folding over the ear set stopped working (after ~20 years) I found a pair designed to go in the ear, but with a silicon loop that goes over the ear for stability. It came with a small case that I put my aids in when I’m using earphones.

In reply to @BrBarry

@BrBarry said:

Over the last 10 year, I tell the flight crew that I am deaf and tell them I have to take my HA’s out.

I’m assuming you do that solely to eliminate the noise, but the consequences of course eliminate your ability to hear conversation or even emergency alerts from the crew. If you fly a LOT, I’d suggest obtaining a set of high quality over-the-ear cupped noise-canceling headphones. Those will ALMOST eliminate the droning white noise of the engines and wind, but permit you to hear cabin conversations. I can’t comment on feedback between the headphones and hearing aids. One issue I’ve not seen discussed adequately is just HOW beneficial truly high-fidelity headphones can be to the severely hearing-impaired individual, but I know in my case even well regarded ear buds such as Apple’s AirPods Pros DON’T come close to the noise cancelation capabilities of over-the-ear headphones such as the Bose QC models, AND the Bose headphones produce a much superior sonic experience for bluetooth streamed music than do ANY earbuds I’ve tried. The single negative comment I’d make about the over-the-ear units I’d make is that they’re bulky. And, I’ll admit that the quality of streamed music that comes via the AirPods Pro is superior to that which I can stream into my ears via my (Phonak-manufactured) Costco KS-10s.

I switch my Widex hearing aids to the transport mode and turn them all the way down. I can still hear a little but am not annoyed by the plane noise.

In reply to @BrBarry

@SpudGunner Hi Jim FYI most airlines/aviation agencies have a safety mandate that directs airlines to provide an aisle seat for deaf or hearing impaired passengers. This is to allow the crew to ensure your attention has been gained and they can communicate instructions more easily by being right next to you (especially in an emergency) Its always a good idea to let the crew know (plus you can bag an aisle seat every time :).
@BrBarry ref feedback I have bose 35 noise cancelling over ear and still get a bit of feedback, I find if I turn the volume on (Jabra Enhance Pro) down low it fixes it (most of the time) or take them out and the Bose do a good job of playing the movies back or I blue tooth them to my phone for music.

hope that helps

@ibarn65 said:

FYI most airlines/aviation agencies have a safety mandate that directs airlines to provide an aisle seat for deaf or hearing impaired passengers. This is to allow the crew to ensure your attention has been gained and they can communicate instructions more easily by being right next to you (especially in an emergency) Its always a good idea to let the crew know (plus you can bag an aisle seat every time :).

I agree with @ibarn65.

Edited

In reply to @kevels55

Very interesting insights here! I wonder … is sign language universal? Like is someone from India, China, South America or wherever, able to read the same signs as someone in UK, Canada, USA, etc.,?

Sure would give a GREAT incentive for global communication if folks could learn ONE universal sign language and communicate.

I’m probably dreaming here. I use Google Translate almost DAILY with an entirely Hispanic crew of guys at my place. The so-called “translations” typically have us doubled over laughing at their ABSURDITY! For instance, today I had Google-translated a phrase about getting “sealant” at Home Depot for the patio, and it came back as “Cesar lint” for some reason, which completely threw the crew for a LOOP!

Hi @1Bluejay, unfortunately no, there are massive variations in sign language, the world over, there is no universal sign language, but many signs are iconic…… So, here in the UK, with our , and I am almost certain elsewhere in the world, we have regional variations, it’s a bit like an accent, they use different signs, for the same thing…. For instance, 2 signers meet for the first time in the street, in Inverness, one is from Aberdeen, the other is from Glasgow, they will both know where each signer is from, without really asking, because signers from these areas, predominantly use certain signs in those areas, that are not used elsewhere, they can tell immediately where they’re from, they will have met signers from those areas before, and they will know what the signs mean…. A wee story here, of one of my experience’s of meeting a Portuguese lady whom was a signer, whilst on holiday in the Algarve with my wife, and kids, we were in a seafood restaurant on the beach, and I noticed this lady going from table to table, selling cigarette lighter’s, eventually she reached our table, and she showed me her card, an Official Portuguese Government I.D. which was in English, it had her photograph, name, Government stamp, it basically said, because this lady was profoundly deaf, with no oral language, she was licensed to sell goods in the street/cafes…… So, I started to sign, immediately pointing to my aids, and she smiled, shook her head, basically mimed she didn’t understand my sign language, her signs were different, so I stopped signing, and mimed, she showed me some of her signs, the basic ones, and I showed her some of my BSL, suffice to say, within about 20 minutes, I had the basic’s, and between iconic signs, miming & rudimentary sign, we could easily converse, and started up a conversation, this was approximately 17 years ago, she told me they got no money or benefits from the government, absolutely zero, they only help they got, was a license to sell goods to the tourists, they were left to fend for themselves, either sink or swim, in the holiday season that’s fine, but you might starve in the off season? I learned a lot from that brief conversation, how sign language teaches you to think on the fly, how quickly you adapt to a foreign signer, because it is so visual…. I felt fortunate to live in the UK, and also learned how difficult it is for some deaf, to eek out a living, in this hearing world…… If I recall correctly, I think I bought about 6 lighters? Cheers Kev.

Haven’t flown in a long time and never gave much thought to my hearing aids. I do recall that everytime I got in the plane asking myself, who the hells driving this thing

In reply to @kevels55

Well, that is a very thoughtful and insightful reply here! Very interesting how there are enough common signs for folks from different countries to get the basics, BUT at the same time, there are these locational nuances to signs! WOW, never thought about that!

Are those lighters still lighting the path for you? Just a wonderful story of persistence, challenge, communication and endurance.

Thank you for the kind words @1Bluejay…… Much appreciated :grin: No lighters anymore, I stopped smoking about 9 years ago, and took up vaping, tbvh, I had no intention of actually stopping, I guess, I came to the overall conclusion, I had no chance of stopping cigarettes, I could never seem to kick the habit, I stopped on so many occasions, but I could never get past that initial 6 months period, so I now vape… I think it is slightly safer than tobacco, maybe marginally so? I make my own vape juice, so I know what’s exactly in it…… Cheers Kev :wink:

There is medication you can now take prior and during the stopping of smoking that all but eliminates the physical cravings that occur when you stop smoking. I couldn’t believe how much it removed that need to have a cigarette. Your gp can prescribe it for you. Vaping is definitely not the way to go

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