How They Did It

Neighborhood
Restaurant
Owner

PROBLEM: Never once did Emma Thaler let her hearing loss get in the way of her dreams of becoming an independent business owner. She manages a popular upscale restaurant in Pasadena, supervising nine employees, and, at 36, is now co-owner of the restaurant. Her job requires her to perform many tasks that focus on her ability to hear verbal communication and environmental sounds: taking and fulfilling orders from customers (both in-person and on the phone); calling and arranging shipments from food distributors; operating a cash register; and interacting socially with her customers and fellow employees.

Among the problems she encountered:

• difficulty hearing on standard and/or network-based telephones
• missing or inaccurately recording information like numbers, dates, and other words and important details
• difficulty hearing in one-on-one and small group conversations with customers and other staff in noisy settings, e.g., working at a cash register with multiple conversations going on around from patrons and fellow staff.
• making mistakes in placing and fulfilling customer and vendor orders due to missed information as a result of her hearing loss.

BACKGROUND: Emma has a bilateral moderate-to-severe hearing loss. She has been fitted with two behind-the-ear (BTE) digital hearing aids. In addition to hearing aids, Emma has found that certain assistive listening devices (ALDS) can be useful in her business to overcome background noises and distances between herself and her customers, and her employees.

SOLUTION: Emma uses an amplified telephone that's compatible with her hearing aid to hear customers on the phone. She has a stand-alone model with a ring-signaller that lights up to show incoming calls. The unit cost about $125, with an additional $25 for the signal light. (Cordless models are available for $150-200.) The amplified telephone increases the caller's voice volume up to 55 dB, depending on the manufacturer. (Some units also offer adjustments for a high-frequency hearing loss.)

A personal amplification system helps Emma in a wide variety of work interactions in the restaurant. She uses one called the Pocketalker (available for $150-$200) that includes a portable amplifier unit, plug-mount microphone, TV/AV output, a listening extension cord and belt clip case. Emma finds the system helps reduce background noise in noisy settings and it's useful for one-to-one communication (as well as TV listening). Her unit offers a 20dB high frequency boost, and increased volume output.

Sometimes, Emma uses her Pocketalker together with an 18-inch neckloop or telecoil coupler in situations where it's difficult or awkward for her to wear headphones. (For example, when she's driving or involved in food service.) The coupler ($50-60) also works in conjunction with her hearing aid, which has a telecoil, or T-switch. This allows her the freedom to listen without the use of earphones and pick up sounds via the magnetic signals being sent to her hearing aid telecoil.

As for the customers? They keep coming back---and bring along their friends for more of Emma's tasty food in her warm, welcoming (and well-run) bistro.