FEB 1 l994


Mr. Warren T. Hanna
Director
Hard of Hearing Advocates
245 Prospect Street
Framingham, Massachusetts 01701

Dear Mr. Hanna:

     This is in response to your letter to Attorney General Reno
seeking advice on what can be done to educate the hard of hearing
community about the availability of hearing aids with telecoil
wires.

     Although the ADA does not require manufacturers to educate
consumers about products they manufacture, there are a number of
Federal agencies that may be able to provide information that
will assist you in educating consumers who are hard of hearing
about hearing aid products that are available on the market:

*    In addition to this Department, the Architectural and
     Transportation Barriers Compliance Board and the Equal
     Employment Opportunity Commission can provide information
     and technical assistance to assist the public in
     understanding the types of assistive listening systems that
     are appropriate for different applications; the
     circumstances under which an employer is required by the ADA
     to provide an assistive listening system to communicate with
     an employee; and the circumstances under which businesses or
     State or local government agencies that serve the public are
     required to provide an assistive listening system to
     communicate with consumers.

*    The U.S. Department of Education's National Institute on
     Disability and Rehabilitation Research does research on a
     variety of disability issues and may have information about
     assistive listening systems that work better for consumers
     who use hearing aids with telecoil wires than for consumers
     who use hearing aids without telecoil wires or consumers who


cc:  Records; Chrono; Wodatch; Magagna; Willis; McDowney; FOIA;
     MAF.      \UDD\WILLIS\CTHANNA






01-02901





                                - 2 -

     are hard of hearing but cannot benefit from any hearing aids
     currently on the market, along with the research it has done
     on the types of assistive listening systems (FM, infra-red,
     and loup) that are appropriate for different applications.
 
*    The Federal Communications Commission regulates under the
     Hearing Aid Compatibility Act and may have information about
     telephone models that work better for consumers who use
     hearing aids with telecoil wires than for consumers who use
     hearing aids without telecoil wires or consumers who are
     hard of hearing but cannot benefit from any hearing aids
     currently on the market.

*    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public
     Health Service, Food and Drug Administration regulates under
     the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and may have
     information about manufacturers or distributors of hearing
     aids suspected of "overselling" their products, claiming
     them to be more effective than they really are.
  
     Enclosed is a booklet that provides information about the
ADA and lists the telephone numbers for ADA information lines
operated by the Architectural and Transportation Barriers
Compliance Board and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
The Department of Justice operates an ADA information line at
(202) 514-0301.

                           Sincerely,




                        James P. Turner
                  Acting Assistant Attorney General
                      Civil Rights Division

Enclosure






01-02902