• Many people rely on visual cues to compensate for hearing difficulty (this is the essence of "lip reading"). Consequently, any speaker who is back-lighted or facing away from the listener is difficult to understand, since his or her face is difficult to see. Well-lighted faces and clear lines of sight are key to public meeting access by HOH citizens. Boards should allow and encourage HOH attendees to move their chairs as needed to ensure that they can "see" what is being said.

• The acoustics of the meeting room are very important. In situations where people with normal hearing have problems, it's a sure bet that HOH people are effectively locked out. The simple solution is to choose a different meeting room. The sound of heating or air conditioning equipment also can make it impossible for an HOH person to follow the discussion. Whenever possible, run the equipment before the meeting and during recesses, but shut it off during discussions and testimony. If there is a noise coming from another room or outside the building, it is important to shut the doors and/or windows.

STRUCTURE OF THE MEETING

• A HOH person often is very good at filling in the gaps in the information received, piecing together understanding through a quick analysis of numerous clues. Consequently, recognizing the context and direction of a discussion is extremely important to comprehension. Public officials can greatly facilitate access for the HOH by handing out copies of detailed agendas and by faithfully following them. Making copies of exhibits available at the beginning of the meeting is also very helpful, enabling the HOH person to consult the document under discussion as it is being discussed.

• When it comes time for testimony or audience comment, good meeting practice suggests that the chair ask each person to stand and identify himself or herself before commenting. This touch of formality, which also is important to the taker of the minutes, helps HOH participants by giving them extra cues.

• As each new item on the agenda is taken up, it is helpful to HOH participants if the chair formally reads both the number and the agenda item. This answers the time-honored meeting question, "which item are we on now?" HOH listeners may not catch the item's title or may miss the number, so reading both the number and the title increases the chances of comprehension.

• It is also helpful for the chair to explain the structure of the meeting as it progresses. If someone moves to transfer three items to the consent agenda, for example, the chair should slow down and spend a few sentences explaining to listeners what this means.

• Simply speaking up is remarkably important.

• Covering your mouth, speaking into your hand or otherwise obstructing the listeners' view of your face deprives the HOH of visual cues that aid comprehension.

• It is helpful to HOH listeners, in addition to being courteous, good practice, for the chair to insist that only one person speak at a time. In times of spirited debate, this may be difficult, but spirited debate is relatively easy for the HOH person to follow. The context, volume, and visual cues typically are very strong in a shouting match. What is extremely difficult for the HOH is to follow one board member's droning monologue while two other board members have a quite side conversation. It's the whispering and background chatter that kills comprehension for the HOH.

• In some environments, it is a good practice, as well as an aid to comprehension, for the chair to repeat a question that has just been asked from the audience, and perhaps to add a word or two of neutral context before entertaining an answer. During complicated debate, the chair should frequently take time to restate the motion or amendment on the floor. Similarly, the practice of carefully articulating formal, clearly stated motions just before a vote is helpful, both to listeners and to board members alike.

• On a more personal level, HOH people are likely to appreciate a chance to chat with an official before a meeting or during a break, to get a valuable preview of the direction the discussion is likely to take. Again, context is a great aid to comprehension.

TECHNOLOGY

• A good-quality sound system with microphones in front of each board member is probably the bare minimum that is required of any public body meeting in a setting in which citizens are having a hard time hearing. Incidentally, officials who are reluctant to buy such equipment should remember that of the more than 20,000 HOH Vermonters, many serve on the public boards -- or would be willing to if they could hear during the meetings. Meeting room acoustics are related to board performance and to board service, as well as to keeping the public informed.

• If a sound system is installed, officials should make sure there is an accessible place (with a good view of the meeting participants) where someone with earphones can plug in to the system. The technology is relatively cheap and easy to find. The board should invest in a couple of sets of earphones at the same time.

• But we must remember that people with different hearing difficulties have different needs, preferences and comfort levels. In addition to having a earphone plug-in panel, officials should try to arrange a place where someone can sit close to a system speaker and still have a clear view of the meeting participants.

• Upon request of a citizen, or in the event of a meeting room remodeling project, the board should explore the option of installing a broadcast loop that would transmit to hearing aids with telcoils. Any hearing aid distributor can explain the technology, which is in use in the larger hearing rooms at the Vermont State House. For individual use, relatively inexpensive devices such as those marketed under the brand name PocketTalker can allow a listener with telcoil hearing aids to place a small microphone where ever desired and wear a FM loop around his or her neck, which will convey a signal to the hearing aid.

• Another option is real-time captioning. This is a process by which a specially trained stenographer types the words being spoken and a computer immediately posts the script on one or more large television sets placed where the listeners can watch. The TV picture shows the speaker, while a script of the words being spoken crawls along the bottom of the screen. This is a useful technique for large meetings and is available in Vermont. You may contact Green Mountain Reporters & Captioners for details at gmrptrs@together.net, 800-595-9873 (voice, within Vermont) or 802-229-1545 (voice), or 802-223-4716 (fax). Anyone who provides such services and would like to be mentioned in these pages is invited to contact us.

  Several Web sites offer more information about relevant technology, including Realtime Reporters, The Caption FAQ, Closed Captioning Web and The Caption Center at WGBH.