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People with hearing loss worry and plan how to communicate daily, in every situation. Imagine being unable to understand your flight departure at the airport or the dialogue in a meeting.

Hearing loops bring sound directly into a listener’s telecoil-enabled hearing aids or cochlear implants — giving users the clarity and understanding they otherwise cannot get.

Our county is committed to being a welcoming and accessible destination – with hearing loops installed at our airport, transportation service, hotels, and concert venues. Travel Lane County joined this effort by providing our hotels, attractions, and venues with hearing loops at a fraction of the cost!

Nearly one in every five Oregon visitors identify as having accessibility needs. Unfortunately, one in every five travelers with accessibility needs has also experienced poor customer service in the past two years.

That is why there is such broad support from all U.S. travelers in investing in better serving travelers with disabilities. 

So, What's a Hearing Loop?

 

A hearing loop is an audio device attached to a loop of copper wire — forming a magnetic field.

Individuals with a telecoil or cochlear implant standing within this magnetic field or ‘loop’ can switch to their T-coil setting — allowing any audio this connected device receives to sound crystal clear!

This loop allows users to enjoy conversations, music or performances to the fullest!

An illustration shows how a person's voice is captured by the looped device and connected to the instrument. A nearby person with a device is there. There is a hearing loop sign posted.
Illustrating a standard front desk hearing loop installation.

Impact from the Loop Lane program:

The main three impacts of the grant fund were:

1.  Partner and Community Engagement:  

We’ve had multiple shoutouts and PR opportunities coming from the businesses we provided funding to, such as a media campaign with the Wildish Community Theater and our local press, attached in Project Documentation section.  We also got requests to speak about Loop Lane at events like the Springfield Chamber and their local Greeters cohort.

2.  New Marketing Opportunities:  

Lane County now has the largest concentration of hearing looped tourist attractions in the region, and we’re right in the middle of strategizing on how we leverage this unique trait.  For instance, our marketing department is adding a "Hearing Loops in Eugene and Springfield" section to our upcoming visitor guide – which will be distributed to 100+ locations in the state.

3.  National Exposure:  

We received an award "2024 Get in the Hearing Loop Award" from the Hearing Loss Association of America for our work on installing hearing loops throughout Lane County.  You can read more about that award via our Press Release linked in the Project Documentation section.

HLAA 2024 "Get in the Loop" Award Acceptance
Travel Lane County accepting our "2024 Get in the Hearing Loop Award" from the HLAA

Through the Loop Lane program, we installed over 35 hearing loops across Lane County!

Below are the hotels, attractions, and venues that have installed hearing loops through our Loop Lane program

To learn more about our accessibility work, please contact

Connor Nolan - Destination Development Manager Connor Nolan - Destination Development Manager

Connor Nolan Destination Development Manager

Phone

541.743.8762

Connor creates products and programs that enhance the Eugene, Cascades & Coast region (Lane County) as a destination. He attends regional and statewide tourism groups to share emerging opportunities across leisure, sports, and convention markets with our community partners. Connor connects stakeholders to Travel Lane County services and statewide tourism programs and collaborates with them on ways to ready their community for growing visitor demand.