Earlier this week, I attended a luncheon for small business owners. The event was hosted in a beautiful new multipurpose space that serves as an auditorium and open floor for roundtable seating. The podium was set up in the front of the room and built-in screens on all walls provided a great view from any location. There was only one problem…. I couldn’t fully understand what the keynote speaker was saying. Why? Simply, because he didn’t use the microphone at the podium. I get it. He likes to pace the stage while speaking to the audience. I’m the same way. I don’t like to be chained to the podium. Pacing enables the speaker to feel more engaged with the audience. But this becomes a huge barrier for people with hearing loss when no wireless microphone is available or put into by the speaker.
Effective communication is essential at public meetings, community events, and presentations, yet too often speakers skip the microphone. Declining to use available sound amplification isn’t just inconvenient; it creates a communication barrier for people with hearing loss and runs counter to principles of accessibility and ADA compliance.
Aging and Hearing Loss
I’ve never had a problem with my hearing and 10 years ago a keynote speaker without a microphone probably wouldn’t have been a barrier for me. However, AGING in my fifties has changed all that! Listening to some male voices has become quite a challenge. Just ask my husband. I’m always asking him to repeat something or telling him to stop mumbling. But the reality is, as we age men and women experience hearing loss differently.
According to the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders, men are twice as likely to experience hearing loss, but are less likely than women to seek help. When it comes to hearing loss men tend to lose their ‘hearing’ in the higher frequency levels first. For women, hearing loss generally occurs in the lower level frequencies. How does this affect communication between the sexes? This means men are less likely to understand consonants, and women are less likely to understand vowels. (The Hearing Gap Between Men and Women. The Hearing Aid Project.)
Declining the Microphone
In 2019, Jessie Ramey set higher education on fire with her article, “A Note From Your Colleagues With Hearing Loss: Just Use a Microphone Already.” Her viral article caught everyone’s attention leading, “Dear colleague: Today at the faculty meeting, I really wanted to tell you something: “It’s not about you.” When you were offered the microphone to make your comments, you said, “No thanks, I’m good.” But it’s not about how you feel using a microphone. It’s about how others can best hear.”
Typically, a speaker will simply ask “Can everyone hear me in the back?” That request puts the individual(s) with hearing loss in a subversive position, requiring them to self-identify while notably inconveniencing the presenter. By Ramey’s account, declining to use amplification sends a troubling message: that the speaker’s comfort outweighs someone else’s right to access. This dynamic mirrors ableism, assuming that everyone can hear like you do and runs counter to the public sector obligation to remove communication barriers under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Public meetings often occur in acoustically challenging spaces, such as gymnasiums, council chambers, community centers, or outdoor settings, where unamplified speech deteriorates quickly. Microphones and sound systems compensate for these conditions. It is well past time for our ADA Coordinators and Accessibility Management Team Members to normalize use of the microphone as standard operating procedures and part of the organizational culture.
Best Practices for Accommodating Hearing Loss at Public Meetings & Events
Here’s how municipalities can proactively support effective communication and ADA compliance:
- Ensure amplification is available for every meeting. If the venue doesn’t have a built-in system, provide portable amplification equipment.
- Utilize flexible equipment. Provide a podium microphone and tabletop mics where presenters are stationary and utilize wireless microphones or lavalier microphone for speakers who may be walking around or taking questions from the audience.
- Plan for audience participation. If you are taking questions from the audience, be sure to have have someone assigned with a wireless mic to move through the audience fielding questions that are amplified for everyone.
- Train facilitators and presenters on proper microphone use (holding it close to the mouth, keeping consistent spacing, avoiding turning away).
- Include microphones in your meeting planning checklist just like agendas, minutes and nametags.
- Provide assistive listening options such as hearing loops and FM/radio systems. Provide signage indicating the assistive listening system is available and where to make the request.
- Normalize microphone usage. Make using the microphone the default practice for every speaker rather than something only used “if requested.”
Effective communication accommodations are not special favors; they are legal obligations and best practices for inclusivity. By normalizing microphone use and thoughtful audio access planning, public entities not only comply with the ADA but also enhance civic engagement, transparency, and community trust.
At Skulski Consulting, we help public entities assess communication access barriers in meetings and develop practical, defensible policies to ensure full participation by people with disabilities.