Radio Aids

This MESHGuide has been designed to cover a wide range of issues associated with personal radio aid systems.  It is a resource for anyone who works with  children and young people (CYP) with hearing difficulties who may benefit from a personal radio aid.  This would include parents, mainstream teachers as well as professionals in the field of deafness.  It focuses specifically on personal radio aid systems as a learning tool for deaf children, and the issues regarding their use.

The principles supporting the use of radio aids systems for deaf children remain constant; however the manufacturers are committed to developing and improving each device.  The technical advances in assistive listening technology enable deaf children, their families and staff in educational settings to develop the use of radio aid systems to maximum advantage.

It aims to be an unbiased source of the latest thinking and research and present relevant case studies on the use of radio aids.  It covers what radio aids are, why and how they are used; connection to other technologies; the various types and makes available, with links to manufacturers and other websites.

Radio aids are a specific form of the wider range of Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) which are currently available.  Other forms of ALDs are beyond the scope of this particular MESHGuide.   Due to the wealth of different ALD devices available this MESHGuide will focus specifically on the personal radio aid systems, which are widely used for CYP for developing spoken language and in education.

The creation of this MeshGuide has been led by Gill Weston, Cate Statham, Helen Maiden and Pauline Cobbold, all who are (or have been) practising Educational Audiologists and/or Teachers of the Deaf.  They have a wealth of knowledge and been involved with research, setting up radio aids in homes and schools for children with hearing aids and Cochlear Implants and working closely with the manufacturers to solve any problems that have arisen.

Disclaimer - the authors have attempted to gather varied examples of research and articles and case studies and are not endorsing a specific viewpoint.

This guide is one in a series of Deaf Education MESHGuides.