Seattle Amplified
A guest at The 5th Avenue Theatre receiving a a Sennheiser assistive listening system. Photo credit Amy Vaughn
Travelers who are hard of hearing or deaf will find numerous options for getting the most out of their visit to Seattle. Cheri Perazzoli, president of Hearing Loss Association of Washington (HLAA-WA), and Patty Liang, executive director of the arts organization Deaf Spotlight, share recommendations and tips on both hearing-friendly attractions and accommodations.
For people who are hard of hearing, “the key is planning ahead for where and how you’ll hear,” says Perazzoli. “Seattle has some wonderful hearing-friendly spaces.” She adds that it’s important to “self-identify and ask” for what you need. Hearing loops are a commonly used assistive listening system that works easily with telecoil-equipped hearing aids and cochlear implants. Anyone can use a hearing loop; simply ask the venue for a loop receiver and headphones. Let’s Loop Seattle has a list of looped locations across the state.
Several local performance theaters—including Benaroya Hall, The 5th Avenue, and the Paramount—use a Sennheiser assistive listening system, which you can check out for free, and at McCaw Hall, Seattle Opera uses live captions above the stage. Many museums, she says—including the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) and Museum of Pop Culture (MOPOP)—have captions on videos and smartphone apps for tours that can connect to hearing instruments via Bluetooth, and some have telecoil-compatible headphones. When it comes to noise inside a business, the SoundPrint website and app provide user-submitted sound ratings measured in decibels.
Tools differ, though they can overlap, for people who are deaf rather than hard of hearing. Liang says that performance venues including Sound Theatre Company, Seattle Rep, and Seattle Children’s Theatre often offer open-captioned or interpreted performances. By advance request, Seattle Town Hall, Climate Pledge Arena, and other sports venues can provide interpreters. Liang encourages people who aren’t hard of hearing or deaf to be patient and open to assisting visitors.
HELPFUL TIPS
At HLAA-WA you can learn about upcoming hearing-friendly events and virtually attend an online HOPE meeting to ask questions about visiting Seattle. Deaf Spotlight also has a useful calendar of events and presents arts workshops, youth camps, and other programs that showcase deaf culture in Seattle.
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