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AudioFetch Blog Header_ADA Compliance

ADA Compliance and Hearing Impairments: Everything Your Business Needs to Know

By | airports, Auction, Business, Casinos, Churches, Education, Government, Hearing Assistance, Hearing Loss, Stadiums, Theater, Tour Guides, Wireless Audio | No Comments

Every public business, organization, or venue should be thinking about how to improve accessibility at their establishment. Not only does it create a more welcoming environment for any and every-one that visits, but it can also be a legal requirement. 

Read on to learn more about how your business can (and must) improve accessibility through ADA compliance and other accessibility-friendly solutions.

What is ADA compliance?

The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law in 1990. It prohibits discrimination and seeks to improve accessibility at public government entities and privately-owned “places of public accommodation,” and requires employers with 15+ employees to provide reasonable accommodations for those with disabilities.

What are ADA guidelines for hearing impairments?

The ADA requirements for hearing impairments vary by platform, business type, or entity. For example, all airlines within and into the United States must accommodate hearing loss, according to the Air Carriers Access Act (ACAA), which is typically accomplished by adding captions to airport TVs
 
Other public venues must provide assistive listening devices (ALDs) in each assembly area where audible communication is integral to the use of the space. These venues include movie theaters, concert and lecture halls, schools, museums, hospitals, stadiums and arenas, courtrooms, conference rooms, convention centers, nursing homes, community centers, and the list goes on and on. 
 
If your venue provides fixed seating (e.g., theater or stadium) for 50 or more people, ADA compliant receivers must be available for a percentage of seating capacity. Originally it was 4% of capacity, but that figure was updated in 2010 to give larger venues a bit of a break with a scaled quantity. Additionally, at least 25% or a minimum of two receivers must be hearing-aid compatible.

What is an ADA-compliant device?

ADA compliant products for hard-of-hearing individuals include assistive listening systems (ALS) or assistive listening devices (ALDs). An assistive listening system is defined as an amplification system utilizing transmitters, receivers, and coupling devices to bypass the acoustical space between a sound source and a listener by means of induction loop, radio frequency, infrared, direct-wired equipment or wireless connection.

Who enforces ADA compliance?

Several agencies play a role in enforcing or investigating ADA compliance claims, including The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Department of Labor, and the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (ATBCB).

What are the consequences of not following the ADA guidelines?

Failing to comply with ADA guidelines can result in both financial and reputation repercussions
 
On a purely financial basis, your business or organization can be fined by the federal government up to $75,000 for the first violation and $150,000 for additional ADA violations, and state or local governments may tack on additional fines. Additionally, you open yourself up to lawsuits, personal injury claims, and legal or civil penalties from disabled individuals with legitimate complaints or ambulance-chasing entities looking to make an easy buck. 
 
From a reputation perspective, your brand name can also be dragged through the mud for non-compliance, which can also severely affect your business financially in both the short and long term.

What businesses or organizations are exempt from ADA compliance?

The ADA does not apply to places of worship, religious organizations/schools, private clubs, or any other venue historically excluded from federal civil rights laws. However, many of these organizations decide to provide some type of assistive listening option to create a more welcoming and inclusive environment for all of their members and patrons. 
 
Learn more about our assistive listening solutions for churches and houses of worship.

Does AudioFetch work with ADA-compliant receivers?

Yes, AudioFetch is compatible with ADA-compliant receivers. AudioFetch can be used to broadcast the audio source live, and then businesses can use a regulation ADA-compliant device to receive that audio. 
 
AudioFetch also integrates seamlessly with hearing aids; listeners connect the hearing aid to their smartphone via Bluetooth and are able to listen in real-time.

AudioFetch works with businesses and organizations of all sizes to help you create a more accessible and welcoming environment for your guests, customers, and employees. If you’re ready to get started, contact us or schedule an appointment to learn more and request a free demo. 

AudioFetch Blog Header_Audio Over WiFi at Business Office

How Audio Over WiFi Benefits Your Business Office or Corporate HQ

By | Business, Fitness Centers, Hearing Assistance, Tour Guides, Wireless Audio | No Comments

After working from home for two years, it can be difficult to get employees back into the office. The convenience and comfort of working from home can oftentimes outweigh the collaboration and communication that comes with being together in one space. And while some companies have vowed to go full-time or remote first, such as Google, Shopify, Quora, US Xpress, Pratt & Whitney, many others are eager to have their staff back in the office environment on a daily basis. 

To encourage staff to willingly and enthusiastically come back, these in-person-ready companies are looking for ways to make the experience more enjoyable, more efficient and safer for everyone. One unique way they can do this is by utilizing a wireless audio streaming system

Below are five ways that corporate HQs and business offices can use audio over WiFi to improve employee satisfaction and productivity: 

1. Employee Training Solution

Training is essential to ensuring your employees are prepared to complete their work in the most effective, efficient, and responsible ways. But if they’re unable to hear or understand the training material, they’ll never be able to perform their job responsibilities to the fullest potential. AudioFetch can be used as an assistive listening solution or live translation system to help your staff learn and comprehend better, leading to better job performance.

Scott M from the US Playing Card Company has found AudioFetch to be particularly useful for their employee training: “We used the tour pack [AudioFetch Express for tour application] and it made a world of difference on the training session. Thank you!!”

2. Fitness TV Audio System

Many corporate headquarters and larger businesses offer a gym or fitness center that their employees can access at any time. Our audio over WiFi system is a perfect solution for allowing staff to stream gym TV audio to their phones. They don’t have to be tethered to any one piece of cardio equipment; rather, they can move around freely throughout the fitness space and use several machines, all while enjoying (and getting distracted by!) the news, a game, a TV show, or anything else playing in the facility. 

3. Wireless Factory Tour Guide System

During tours of factory floors, where conditions can be dangerous and safety is of the utmost importance, it’s imperative that all participants can hear the tour guide clearly. But churning machinery, beeping vehicles, whirring fans, and other loud sounds can easily drown out the audio and potentially put participants at risk and workers at risk. 

Our portable tour guide system is an ideal solution, and a great replacement for outdated, unhygienic, and expensive listening devices you may already be using. Tour groups use their own personal smartphones to listen with the AudioFetch app, eliminating the need to purchase, keep track of, maintain and sanitize numerous devices. The app is simple and intuitive for users of any age or expertise, plus it’s free to download with no monthly fees for your business. 

4. Controlled Music System

Did you know that music can increase your employees’ productivity?! It’s true. Especially for those staff whose tasks are clearly defined and repeated often, such as factory or warehouse workers. Music improves mood, increases concentration, reduces stress, and increases work speed. 

AudioFetch can be used to provide multiple music channels to your team to reap these benefits and more. Select channels can be programmed, offering options for varying musical tastes and work styles, while limiting employees’ ability to access the internet and thus get distracted. All employees have to do is download the free AudioFetch app, select their channel of choice, and start listening. 

5. Emergency Notification Solution

Quick action and widespread communication is required during an office fire or other emergency situation. Audio Over WiFi technology can be used to stream emergency instructions to employees on multiple floors and throughout thousands of square footage, allowing your staff to mobilize quickly and efficiently.

Helping your employees, clients and visitors hear better without distractions or distracting others can increase productivity and enhance the office space, making it a more desirable environment to return to. If you’re ready to get started, contact us or schedule an appointment to learn more and request a free demo. 

AudioFetch Blog Header - 2022 Wireless Audio Streaming Predictions

5 Predictions for Wireless Audio Streaming in 2022

By | Education, Food for thought, Hearing Assistance, Home Audio, Wireless Audio | No Comments

As A/V technologies grow more advanced and consumers become more reliant on their smartphone devices, we expect the field of local audio over WiFi to continue growing in the new year. Below are our 5 predictions for wireless audio streaming in 2022.

1. Increased Focus on Accessibility 

If there is one positive thing to come out of the past two years it’s that we have all become more aware of the health challenges and disabilities of others. That includes individuals with hearing impairments. 

This spotlight on hearing has lead to a focus on providing more and better accessibility options in theaters and churches. We predict this focus will continue to grow in 2022, with even more businesses and organizations using audio over WiFi for hearing assistance. The venues we anticipate will grow the most are schools and universities, hospitals and conferences and convention centers.

2. Social Distancing Will Still Be Important

No, unfortunately, we are not yet done with social distancing. As new variants continue to spread throughout the word (and there will be more no doubt, Omicron is not the final one), we’re going to have to continue maintaining safer distances in certain public establishments and spaces.

Wireless audio streaming is a simple, flexible and affordable way to permit social distancing, while allowing businesses to stay open and provide entrainment options. Expect this to continue throughout most if not all of 2022.

3. New Applications Will Be Discovered

We get calls from folks all the time that want to know, “Will AudioFetch work for X?” or “Can I use AudioFetch for Y?” And 99.9% of the time, our answer is yes! 

AudioFetch is so flexible, so simple and so affordable, there are near-infinite uses. We could never rattled them all off or list them all on our site. Heck, we haven’t even thought of some of them! But if it has to do with helping people hear better in public venues or at home, AudioFetch can probably help! 

Take Itchy-O for example, a 57-member avant-garde marching band and performance music group based in Denver, CO. The Itchy-O band leader uses AudioFetch to communicate with the other members as they dance throughout the crowd during their performances. We certainly couldn’t have imagined this application, but what a cool use and perfectly suited use for AudioFetch! 

4. More Businesses Using Wireless Audio Distribution

Interest in using AudioFetch for wireless audio distribution has grow significantly in the past couple years as businesses look for more flexible and affordable audio solutions that meet the needs of today’s tech-savvy consumer. AudioFetch has replaced the existing wireless audio distribution system for a music festival and race track, and we expect to see even more businesses using AudioFetch in this way in 2022. 

5. Continued Interest in Home Entertainment Options

We’ve all spent a lot of time at home these past couple years. And while there were certainly times when the cabin fever seemed unbearable and we would have rather been ANYWHERE else on the planet, collectively, we have all learned how to be at home more, and some folks even now prefer it.

Just because we’re staying home more, however, doesn’t mean we don’t want to be entertained. This is clear when you look at all the home-focused technology to come out of CES this year. We especially loved Samsung’s The FreeStyle projector that would be perfect for hosting outdoor movie nights with AudioFetch Home as the audio solution! 

We are choosing to stay positive and have an optimistic outlook for 2022. We look forward to working with even more large franchises, mom and pop businesses and individuals to help more people hear better in both commercial and residential spaces. 

AudioFetch Blog Header - Social Distance Tour

6 Types of Social Distancing Tours

By | Tour Guides, Travel | No Comments

After being locked indoors for several months, staring at screens for entertainment, people are itching to get out of the house and experience something in real life. Yet, travelers are still concerned about their health and safety. While some people are venturing out in wider areas, they remain cautious of the places they’re visiting and the people they’re interacting with. 

To help assuage travelers’ safety concerns and provide the necessary precautions, travel and tourism brands are leveraging our AudioFetch wireless audio streaming technology. 

AudioFetch helps create extra space for social distancing by allowing attendees to hear the guide via their smartphone, rather than crowding around in a group. And since they’re using their own smartphone, not a device provided to them by the tour, it limits the number of surfaces that individuals come into contact with (and limits the items the tour company has to sanitize after each tour!). 

Since lockdown restrictions began lifting earlier this summer, we’ve worked with numerous travel and tourism brands to help them create social distance tours. Some of the unique uses we’ve found are:

Factory Tours

Whether they’re for educational, entertainment or inspection purposes, factory tours can be made safer and more enjoyable with a wireless tour guide system. Not only does the system eliminate the need to provide devices that must be sanitized, it allows all attendees to remain six feet apart and still hear the tour guide. 

City Tours

Even traveling down the street can seem like a major adventure these days. And that’s why local city tours have been a hot trend this summer. Tours Accolde is using AudioFetch to provide guided walking tours in Quebec City and Lévis, Canada, showing off the local history, architecture, culture and lifestyle. 

Brewery Tours

This is a big one in our home state of Colorado! Breweries big and small run tours of their facilities for a sneak peek into the machinery and processes required for a perfect pint. Just like factories, breweries can be loud places that make it difficult for tour guides to hear and be heard. Our technology allows anyone with a smartphone to hear, AND to maintain a safe social distance. 

Garden Tours

Outdoor destinations have been deemed a safer alternative to indoor destinations, and many travel spots are beefing up their outdoor garden tours to provide this option. Whether it’s botanic gardens that are limiting tours to only their outdoor attractions, or indoor tours that are making the typically overlooked garden portion the main event. 

Architecture Tours

New River Architecture offers waterway cruises using electric-powered boats to guide visitors through the architecture and landscape of Fort Lauderdale, the “Venice of America.” Using AudioFetch and the open air venue, New River Architecture will provide a safer alternative to indoor tours. 

College Campus Tours

Prospective students and freshmen are typically treated to a campus-wide tour of all the new facilities they can visit. These tours can still take place by using wireless tour guide technology that permits people to keep a safe distance, while still hearing the every word the tour guide says. 

If you have questions about how AudioFetch allows you to run tours more responsibly with our tour guide system app, people do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to helping you get your tour business back up and running, and doing so in the safest way possible.

AudioFetch Blog Header - Socially Distant Tours

How to Run Socially-Distant Tours with AudioFetch

By | Tour Guides, Travel | No Comments

Every industry has taken a major hit over the past two months, and that’s especially true for travel and tourism. With shelter in place orders across the globe, tours were brought to a standstill with few, if any, options for driving revenue. 

Now, as quarantine orders are being lifted, tour companies are eager to resume their unique tour experiences and begin generating revenue again. Yet, there are precautions they must now take to ensure the safety of both the tour group members and their staff. 

Requiring everyone to wear masks is a prerequisite. Limiting the number of people in any single tour group is wise. Modifying tour sites and attractions to avoid crowded areas should be considered. But how can people hear the tour guide when everyone must stand at least six feet away? 

Our AudioFetch technology is the perfect solution! Using our FetchExpress portable audio streaming device, tour guides can broadcast their voice to anyone within 300 feet in any direction. This allows for ample distance between tour group attendees, and provides your business with a responsible and marketable advantage. 

How Does AudioFetch Make Tours Safer

Our FetchExpress solution is lightweight, portable and has built-in Wi-Fi, turning the tour guide into a walking hotspot for listeners. Installing and using FetchExpress is incredibly simple, and requires just a few steps:

  1. Install FetchExpress – Turn on the FetchExpress and plug in the microphone. Seriously, it’s that easy!
  2. Download AudioFetch App – Tour members download the free AudioFetch App to their smartphone or tablet, connect to the FetchExpress Wi-Fi network, and launch the app.
  3. Ensure a Safe Distance – Make sure the tour guide and members are standing at least six feet apart and maintain this distance if it’s a walking tour or there’s any movement required during the tour. 
  4. Start the Tour – The tour guide speaks into the microphone and members listen via the app. 

For more stationary tours, or so that entire families can hear together, a bluetooth speaker can be paired with the phone or tablet to extend the audio. 

We also include a free wireless tour guide accessories kit with each purchase, freeing up the tour guide’s hands to point out important sights and ensuring they don’t run out of juice on longer tours. The accessories kit includes a hip pack, a headset microphone, a USB battery, and a battery charger cable. 

As the travel and tour industry begins to reopen, it’s important to take the necessary precautions to protect everyone involved. It’s also important that potential customers know about the measures you’re taking, and feel confident that their health and safety will not be jeopardized during their experience with your tour business.

If you have questions about how AudioFetch allows you to run tours more responsibly with our tour guide system app and WiFi audio stream, do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to helping you get your tour business back up and running, and doing so in the safest way possible.

AudioFetch Blog Header - Stadium Listening

New Stadium Listening Solution by AudioFetch

By | AudioFetch News, Stadiums | No Comments

Experiencing a live sporting event, concert, speaker or other big performance involves all five senses. Seeing the video screens and special effects. Smelling the hot dogs cooking on the grill. Feeling the cool summer night breeze. Tasting that first sip of ice cold beer. Listening to the play-by-play commentary or catching all the hit songs. Each of these senses is important, but it’s that last one–hearing–that is so important for live events. 

Hearing enables us to connect with the world and people around us, and allows us to enjoy life to its fullest. It also helps keep us safe in potentially threatening or emergency situations. So when fans can’t hear in noisy stadiums or arenas, they can miss out on the high points of the event or even critical announcements. 

That’s why we’re so excited to announce a new local WiFi audio streaming solution–Stadium Listening

“Accessibility and experience are incredibly important to stadiums and large arenas,” says Tim DePumpo, CEO of AudioFetch. “They want each and every person at that event to enjoy each and every aspect of the performance. And audio is a major, if not the most important part.”

This new solution allows thousands of listeners to hear live local audio on their smartphone or tablet using the AudioFetch app. It’s ideal for attendees with hearing disabilities or simply those that want to clearly hear the main event over hollering vendors, cheering fans, blaring vuvuzelas and other miscellaneous event din. Any venue that draws a large crowd–sports stadiums, concert arenas, large auditoriums, indoor or outdoor amphitheaters–can use this new audio streaming solution to provide hearing assistance for attendees. 

“When we first developed AudioFetch, we were focused on smaller venues and smaller crowds–maybe 50 to 100 people watching games in a sports bar, or 20 people running on treadmills at the gym,” says Tim. “As the company has grown, so have the crowd sizes that want to listen. We’ve gotten interest from stadiums and large arenas around the world, and knew we needed to come up with a solution for mass listening.” 

For the stadium or event venue, it works similarly to our other local audio streaming products. Just three easy steps get you up and running: 1. Connect the audio source(s) to AudioFetch using the included cables; 2. Connect the AudioFetch to the WiFi router; and 3. Attendees download the AudioFetch App and listen in real-time. (And if you want to get technical, that’s really only two steps on you!)

For attendees, it’s the exact same process as any other venue. Simply download the AudioFetch App for Apple or Android, connect to the local WiFi and start listening! 

“We’ve spent years developing the technology to make this mass listening possible,” Tim adds. “And also spent years making sure customers and users never know how much tech is behind it. It’s so simple to get more people hearing better, and that’s our number one goal.” 

For more information on this new stadium listening solution or to learn how AudioFetch can help you and your customers hear better, contact us today

AudioFetch Why I Guide Giveaway Contest 2

Want to Win a Free FetchExpress? Tell Us Why You Love Being a Tour Guide

By | Tour Guides, AudioFetch News | No Comments

UPDATE: Contest entry period has ended.

Being a tour guide is a dream job for many. In fact, it was ranked the 3rd best job for work-life balance by Business Insider last year. And it’s hard not to see why–experience new environments, meet new and interesting people, learn about art, history and culture, and of course, get paid to see the world! These are just some of the reasons we know tour guides love their jobs.

But we know there are a million more. And we need you to tell us what they are. That’s why we’re hosting the “Why I Guide” giveaway contest. Tell us what you love about your job and you’ll be entered to win a free FetchExpress, the best wireless tour guide system and app out there, and a custom Tour Guide Accessories Kit (USB battery, battery charger cable, headset microphone, belt pack). FetchExpress allows your tour groups to hear your voice better without distractions or distracting others. Using built-in WiFi, FetchExpress broadcasts your voice live to your guests’ smartphones via the free AudioFetch App.

Entering the contest is easy — just record a video (<30 seconds) explaining why you love being a tour guide, and post it to our Facebook page or upload the video to your Instagram profile, and use the hashtags: #WhyIGuide and #TourGuideLife. Every video uploaded between March 18 and April 30 with those hashtags is automatically entered, and the winner will be chosen at random in May.

What are you waiting for? Record that video and head over to Facebook or Instagram to enter!

Full rules and eligibility.

AudioFetch Homepage Slide - Wireless Tour Guide Audio Solution

What’s Included in Our Tour Guide Accessories Kit for Our Wireless Tour Guide System

By | Tour Guides, AudioFetch News | No Comments

A tour guide needs to be light, nimble and prepared for anything that might happen during a tour. Any little technical or logistical mishap–a dead microphone battery, missing cables, juggling all kinds of devices and papers–can create a not-so positive experience for guests. So we’ve put together a customized Tour Guide Accessories Kit. When used with the FetchExpress wireless tour guide system, it contains all the tools tour guides need to be prepared and go hands-free during their tours.

Our Tour Guide Accessories Kit includes:

  • USB Battery – Today, battery power is worth more than gold! That’s why we’ve included an extra long life external battery pack to ensure you never run out of juice halfway through a tour.
  • Battery Charger Cable – That battery pack would be useless without a way to plug it in!
  • Headset Microphone – A lightweight, hassle-free microphone that comfortably fits around the back of your head, delivering high-quality sound and freeing up your hands for all your guiding needs.
  • Safety Band – The Elastic band allows you to secure the FetchExpress to the battery pack, keeping the devices organized and stable.
  • Instruction Cards – Each kit comes with a stack of small cards with a QR code for simple download of the AudioFetch App including brief instructions.
  • Belt Pack – A roomy hip pack that’s the perfect size for holding the FetchExpress, battery pack, and all other accessories you need. Strap it on and you’re hands free, ready to point out interesting sights, hand-out tickets, or hold open doors!
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AudioFetch Express Tour Guide Accessories Kit

For a limited time, the Tour Guide Accessories Kit is included at no charge for every tour application. Contact us today to order your FetchExpress tour guide audio system. Make your tour guiding pain free while providing an even better guest experience.

And don’t forget to enter the Why I Guide tour guide GIVEAWAY! Learn more