HOHA                    HARD OF HEARING ADVOCATES
   Director               Finding and Implementing Solutions)
Warren T. Hanna

245 Prospect Street Framingham MA 01701 USA Phone(308)875-88662
FAX(508)875-0145

The Honorable Janet Reno                 
Attorney General of the United States
Main Justice Building
Constitution Avenue between 9th & 10th Streets
Washington, D.C. 20530
                                             August 20, 1993

Dear Honorable Janet Reno:

     The following describes a relatively widespread problem in which your 
input would be appreciated.

     This relates to hearing aids and the uniqueness of the problem in which 
consumers, as a result of their affliction, tend to become passive. They lose 
their willingness to assert themselves verbally. This results in a high rate
of dissatisfaction, as well as high prices for hearing aids.

     Another factor: The American Disability Act.  Many hearing aid wearers
are being denied access to social environments in which they could hear, if
only they were educated properly. To explain: all but the smallest hearing
aids have the potential of having a small coiled wire (called a telecoil)
installed in it. This telecoil allows a person not only to hear better on the
telephone, but it serves as a receiver to pick up sound from other sources. 
These other sources include receivers that can be connected to FM, Infra-red
and/or Loop systems. A hearing aid wearer using such a system can literally
hear better than a normal hearing person under certain conditions.

     Industry people give many reasons for their failure to educate
consumers, though it appears clear that they just do not want to take the time
to demonstrate and explain the procedure. This technology is something that
has been used in Scandinavian countries for 40 years, allowing people to go to 
churches, to theaters, etc. and to be able to function as normal hearing
people do.

     Many businesses today are willing to put in what are called assistive 
listening systems (FM), Infra-red and Loop systems), but the hard of hearing 
consumer without a telecoil is very limited in his ability to use such a
system.

     I realize this is a brief description of a somewhat complex problem and 
that you may need more information. Should you have any questions, I would be 
happy to get into them with you. The end result is, "What can the splintered 
hard of hearing community do in such a case?" It seems logical to seek help
via litigation, possibly to create a small claims procedure to help in
individual cases, or is a class action apt to prove more effective?

     Input from you would be sincerely appreciated.

                                            Sincerely,

                                            Warren T. Hanna, Director
WTH/jk
01-02903