Traveling with Hearing Loss

TRAVELING WITH HEARING LOSS Part 1 General Facts 2 billion trips* 1 out of 10 Americans has hearing loss 77% 26% 21% 50% 3 out of 4 26% of domestic 21% of business domestic trips taken are for trips account for meetings and leisure travelers traveled with leisure purposes children events or incentive The average "Baby Boomers" (age 45+) account for half of business programs age for business travelers is 45.9 and leisure travel volume years old Did you know? Y In the United States today 1 in 10 Americans - over 36 million people - experience some degree of hearing loss, a figure which is likely to rise significantly in the coming years due to aging "Baby Boomers." Hearing loss is the third leading ARTHRITIS chronic health condition among 2 HEART DI SEASE Americans, after arthritis and high blood pressure 3 HEARING LOSS 1 in 5 "Baby Boomers" (ages 45-64) has hearing loss; although 40% of the hearing impaired are younger than 65. The Primary Purpose Top Destinations for International Travelers for International Travel France O Canada visiting friends and relatives Mexico Dominican Republic Australia vacation/holiday Top Leisure Activities for U.S. Travelers Abroad fine dining taking guided galleries/ sightseeing shopping visiting a small town/ visiting historical visiting art experiencing cultural/ethnic countryside tours heritage sites locations museums Top Leisure Activities for U.S. Domestic Travelers visiting relatives shopping fine dining beaches Means of Transportation Domestic Travel International Travel bus 20% air travel 65% 48% 33% business trips railroad 15% business trips by car air travel 33% taxicab/ limo 79% leisure trips 11% leisure trips 21% subway tram/bus 11% rental car 5% cruise river boat Modes of International Travel 6% short cruise ferry/river taxi Transport Hazards for People with Hearing Loss < 85 85 - 120 > 120 Normal Levels Very Loud: Possible Hearing Damage Extremely Loud 200 150 150 120 100 110 100 80 50 60 Car horn Conversation Telephone in restaurant, office, background Aircraft Live rock music Jet take-off Busy urban street takeoff at 3 feet music Part 2 Traveling with Hearing Loss Potential Problems that May Occur while Traveling with Hearing Loss Inability to hear busy train station announcements or understand airline boarding and in-flight announcements Difficulty in understanding what is being said in noisy places, such as restaurants or pubs Difficulty making reservations Inability to hear hotel room telephones, someone knocking on the door, or warning signals such as smoke alarms Difficulty using public telephones, hotel phones, cell phones, etc. Traveling Hazards Inability to hear or understand scheduled events such as planned activities, tours, museum lectures, and live performances Lack of adequate language interpreters, specialized in conversing with hearing impaired Asking directions from strangers Missing vital information announced by the tour guide Taking hearing aids off to swim Going on a guided tour and not hearing the tour guide Did you know?Y In most cases, hearing aids will not set off the alarms during security screening at airports. Keeping your hearing aids on will allow you to communicate with the security officers during screening if necessary. Tips for Traveling with Hearing Loss 2 3. Complete bookings online, if possible, as all confirmation will be in writing Prior to booking a trip, Request that everything be confirmed in writing - price, dates, reservations and checking the information about A.D.A. requirements for services and aids travel itinerary for people who have hearing-impairments 5 Take any equipment necessary e.g. vibrating alarm clock, door beacon, portable telephone amplifier, television listening device and smoke alarm; Take an electricity adapt- er if necessary Plan travel Find out if the hotel arrangements clearly in advance: timetable, changes of train or plane, locations of airports, stations and transport/transfer pick-up points has any provisions for hearing impaired and deaf people before booking with them: e.g. visible or tactile smoke alarm, closed caption television 07 Pack spare hearing aid batteries Have hearing aids checked by your hearing professional before leaving for vacation Confirm if sending text messages from personal mobile telephones abroad is possible 10 11 12 Inform the flight attendant if one is hearing-impaired and request that any in-flight announcements Call the following Learn the phrase 'I can't hear well' in the local language or have it written on a card toll-free hotline if experiencing hear- ing-related air service problems; 1-800-778-4838 be communicated in no puedo oir bien je ne peux p as entendre bien ich kann nicht gut hören person; consider reserving aisle seats so that communication with the flight staff (phone) or 1-800-455-9880 (TTY) is easier *Also refer to Google Translator www.translatorgoogle.com 13 14 15 Translatea few Take maps - it is difficult to hear peo- ple's instructions but if there's a map it can show you the way Invest in a good guide book in order to rely less on other people's instructions common requests into the local language and have them written on a card *Also refer to Google Translator. map www.translator.google.com 16 17 18 Self-catering can provide privacy and less background noise for meal Restaurants are Inform one or more often quieter on very early or a very late lunch hours traveling companions of the extent of the hearing impairment and give them some helpful hearing instructions beforehand times 19 20 Remind hotel staff Don't be afraid to ask professionals, such as tour guides, for help Small last tip: that one might not hear the smoke alarm, the telephone or a Traveling companions are on vacation too knock on the room door if needed. - make alternative and they should not be used as arrangements with the staff 'interpreters' unless really necessary! Trying to be as independent as possible is the key to a successful travel experience. Miracle Ear *Atrip is defined as one person on a trip away from home overnight in paid accommodations oron a day or overnight trip to places 50 miles or more [one-way] away from home * Presented is data for 2012. Data for 2013 is not available yet, average growth forecast is 1.5% each year from 2012 to 2015. Sources: http://www.ustravel org/sites/default/files/page/2010/12/Public_Forecast_Summarypdf http://travel trade gov/outreachpa ges/downlo ad_data_table/20 12_Outbound_Analysis. pdf http://www.ustravel.org/news/press-kit/travel-facts-and-statistics http://www.ustravel.org/sites/default/files/page/2009/11/US_Travel Answer_Sheet_March_20 13 pdf http://travel.state gov/content/passports/english/go/disabilities html http://travel trade gowoutreachpages/downlo ad_data_table/20 12 Outbound_Analysis.pdf http://www.hearinglink.org/loopconference/its-not-so-much-abo ut-loops http://www.travelguides.org/travelagents html http://www.nided nih gov/health/statistics/Pages/quick. aspx https://www.nidcd nih gov/funding/programs/09HHC/Pages/summary aspx http://www.betterhearing org/hearng loss/prevalence_of_heaning_loss/index cfm http://www.entnet.org/educatio nandresearch/Publicationo. cfm Sound Level in Decibels 00