January 22, 2013 — Amtrak stations in New York and Washington have installed hearing loop technology at select ticket counters and customer service desks to assist individuals with hearing loss. The hearing loop consists of a wire connected to a microphone that an Amtrak agent can then speak into and the sound is transmitted electromagnetically. Those individuals with hearing loss that use telecoil-equipped hearing aids or cochlear implants are then able to hear the Amtrak agent, as the telecoil acts as a wireless antenna and transmits the sound from the microphone to the individual while removing the background noises. The President and CEO of Amtrak, Joe Boardman, noted the importance of accessibility to Amtrak as, “Amtrak strives to improve service to all [its] customers and using technology to better communicate with passengers with hearing loss is the right thing to do.”
