FM and Football: A Winning Combination
By Schroeder, Virginia; Volta Voices, Vol. 8, No. 4, pp. 23-26Publication Date: July/August 2001
Article discussing the case of two high school athletes from Trenton, Michigan who utilized FM technology on the football field. Both athletes used personal hearing aids at home, and used FM equipment in the classroom. The athletes tried using hearing aids on the football field, but could not understand signal calls, and had trouble with their hearing aids popping out when they were tackled. This led to the introduction of FM technology on the football field. The athletic program ensured that liberal padding was provided to protect the equipment and the athletes. Each student wore a hearing aid in one ear and a button receiver coupled to a soft earmold in the other. The cord from the button receiver was looped over the ear and run down the back inside of the jersey. The receiver was placed inside a heavily padded fanny pack. The quarterback of the team was also fitted with an FM system so that the players with hearing impairments could understand the plays he called. Both players’ performances on the football field greatly improved due to use of the equipment.
Published by: Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (Website:http://www.agbell.org)
