Radio Aids

Radio Aid - How it works

A radio aid works with hearing aids or cochlear implants to make it easier for pupils to concentrate on the sounds and voices they need to hear in school.

A radio aid system is made up of two parts: a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter picks up sounds from teachers and other pupils and sends them wirelessly to the receiver so that the pupil can hear them clearly over the usual background noise in a classroom.

In Aberdeen City the Minimic, Roger EasyPen, Roger On Transmitter systems are used in schools.

These transmitters transmits the users voice directly into the ear of a deaf pupil via their hearing equipment.

RogerOn Transmitter

Roger Pen Transmitter

Minimic

A receiver(s) either attaches to the hearing aids or cochlear implants, or is worn around the neck on a loop system. It allows the speaker’s voice to be transmitted directly into the hearing equipment.

The Roger EasyPen or On can also be used by pupils with a hearing loss who do not wear hearing equipment. This can be done by attaching headphones or earbuds to the neck loop above.

How do Radio Aids Help?

Radio aids help to overcome problems which can prevent pupils from hearing well in a classroom situation such as:

· Background noise.

· Reverberation or sounds echoing off hard surfaces.

· Distance from speaker to pupil.

Wearing a Radio Aid for a student? What to remember

Remember:

Turn it off when you are having a private conversation with another learner or staff member. If it is still on, the deaf student will hear every word of the conversation.
Don't wear lanyards or long jewellery as the ‘clinking’ will be very loud and drown out your speech.
Do ask for it if the child is building up their self-advocacy skills.

If you would like to know more about Radio Aids or would like some advice or troubleshooting support, please contact a member of the team who will be more than happy to help you.

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