For some people, a lecture like this can be exhausting. For people who need hearing assistance or have special requirements regarding attention and auditory processing, it can determine whether they can follow the content on an equal footing.
That’s why the (TH) OWL University of Applied Sciences and Arts wants to make “audio” not just louder, but better for everyone. Following a pilot project that lasted just under a year, TH OWL is preparing to install ten Auracast transmitters in lecture halls and event rooms. This marks the next step toward full-scale operation: “We’re no longer testing whether a transmitter works. We’re examining how to turn this into a reliable university service,” says Benjamin Weber, the university’s liaison for people with severe disabilities.
Inclusion Is Planned Collaboratively
The project has been developed collaboratively from the very beginning: the Media and Information Technology department of the S(kim), Facility Management, and the Inclusion Office are bringing together different perspectives. The Media Technology department translates accessibility requirements into a reliably operable room service. The Inclusion Office brings the users’ perspective to the table. Information Technology and Facilities Management ensure integration into networks, spaces, and operational processes.
This early collaboration prevents accessibility from being assessed only after equipment has already been installed and processes have been established. Instead of adding individual custom solutions later, an infrastructure is planned from the start that opens up different access routes to the same information.
Room Provides Additional Audio Signal
Auracast is a feature of Bluetooth Low Energy Audio (Bluetooth LE Audio). It allows a room to broadcast an audio signal like a radio station. Compatible devices within range can receive this signal simultaneously.
The audio signal can be received directly by compatible hearing aids, cochlear implants, headphones, or professional rental receivers.
This allows users to continue using their familiar devices and personal settings. Their own hearing aid or headphones are not replaced but rather gain an additional way to access the audio from the lecture or event.
Greater independence from seating location and room acoustics
Fortunately, the speaker in the lecture hall uses a microphone. This allows the speaker to amplify their voice. A speaker fills the room with sound, but how well you can understand it depends heavily on your seat, the distance, and the echo. A direct audio signal makes the listening experience less dependent on your seat.
One might think this is important primarily for people who need hearing assistance. However, it can also help people who have difficulty following speech in the presence of background noise or who are particularly sensitive to acoustic stimuli. “Inclusive technology is therefore not a specialized solution for a select few, but a service for everyone,” emphasizes Benjamin Weber. “Text-to-speech functions, captions, and voice control demonstrate that such developments—or assistive technologies—are used by the general public.”
Access does not require purchasing a device
Auracast is still in an early market phase. Not all personal hearing systems can yet receive these broadcasts directly. Therefore, switching hearing aids or cochlear implants at short notice should not be a prerequisite for participation. The German Hearing Association expressly calls for early information and reliable alternative access options during this transition phase.
The (TH) OWL University of Applied Sciences and Arts is therefore supplementing the new infrastructure with professional loaner receivers and suitable adapters, such as wearable induction loops. These also enable people with older hearing aids or those that are not yet directly compatible to access the service. Information, individual counseling, and loans for assistive technology are organized through the Inclusion Office and its assistive technology pool.
New technology must not replace existing forms of exclusion with new ones. It must meaningfully expand upon familiar devices and build bridges where technological advancements have not yet reached everyone.
Technology must be easy to find and use
An existing transmitter alone does not ensure participation. Users must be able to recognize that a broadcast is available and understand how to select it. Lecturers and event organizers must be able to make it available without complicated additional procedures.
That is why installation and day-to-day operation are integrated with an information and operational concept. This concept makes it clear in which rooms the service is available, what reception options exist, and how support can be accessed. The key factor is whether people can find the service, understand it, and use it without unnecessary barriers.
Different situations require different rules
A public lecture places different requirements on data protection and information security than an examination, a consultation, or a job interview. For this reason, both open and restricted modes of operation are being prepared. Legal and organizational frameworks are part of the joint operational concept. They are designed to protect confidential content without unnecessarily complicating access in public and low-threshold situations.
From the lecture hall to other university areas
The initial focus is on use in lectures and university-wide public events. Following a successful rollout, other areas of use are conceivable: meetings, selected administrative settings, and later, possibly job interviews or other confidential situations. In the future, alternative audio services could also be added, such as translations or simultaneous interpretation.
People should be able to hear what concerns them—in lectures, at events, and wherever understanding speech is a prerequisite for participation.
The real innovation lies not in the Bluetooth transmitter, but in the operating model. When media technology, Information Technology, building management, data protection, support, and participation are planned together, wireless transmission becomes infrastructure—and accessibility becomes added value for everyone.