9 minute read
Giving Disabled People a Voice
The lABLEd podcast is giving a platform for all experiences of disability, here we found out more from the podcast founders, Alice Evans and Lucy Woods.
Who are Alice and Lucy and what is the IABLEd Podcast?
We are two disabled thirty-somethings who stumbled across each other on the internet and discovered we had a very similar approach to life and outlook on disability. Combining this with our shared abilities to talk the hind leg off a donkey, we thought this would be the perfect foundation for a podcast. Drawing on our own lived experiences of disability we created the lABLEd Podcast which puts the focus back on the individuals and the voices and stories of disabled people, rather than societal expectations.
What inspired you to start the podcast?
We wanted to see narratives about disability told by disabled people, we were tired of seeing medicalised and inspirational stories or disabled people used as tokens to represent an entire, and very diverse, community. We wanted to promote a different kind of disability advocacy, and create a platform where disabled people could tell their own stories and we could explore the vast scope of the disabled experience. A lot of people are unaware of the incredible contributions made by disabled people in the past and with our shared love of history we couldn’t help but shoehorn this into the show somehow. From this, our History Lesson episodes, with our resident disability historian Daisy Holder, were born.
Now we have somebody who knows what they’re talking about around to correct us when we’re wrong!
How important is it that disabled voices are heard?
Giving voice to disabled people is the cornerstone of what we do at the lABLEd podcast – otherwise it’s just two hours of us chatting nonsense, and nobody wants to hear that! We’ve found that giving a platform to disabled voices has also helped us become better advocates for other disabled people; we’ve learned so much in the last year and gained insights into lives and experiences that we would never have otherwise dreamed of.
You started the podcast to really challenge the labels that are out there around disability, what are your thoughts about these labels and how does your podcast
Finally, what is your future vision for IABLEd and how can DRM readers support you on your journey?
Our ultimate goal is to become Queens of (both the disabled and non-disabled) world, and you can support our regime by contributing to our crowd funder! If you can’t donate, don’t worry we know money can’t buy you happiness, but rating, reviewing, and subscribing to the podcast might! We have big plans for future episodes (mostly about things that allow us to indulge in what we find most interesting), including more deep dives into disability history and the big topics of current conversation! And we’re still really interested in the representation of disability across all different mediums, so listen out for our two cents on that! We want the show to appeal to members of both the disabled and nondisabled community and are always open to hearing from our listeners; so if you have any suggestions or there’s something you really want to hear, you can join our Facebook group and follow us on all the usual social media places!
challenge the status quo?
One of the things that drew us together was our mutual background in media studies; we had both seen the way that the media represents disabled people and the powerful impact these representations have on the social expectations and prejudices about disability. We want to put the power of identification back in the hands of the people who live those represented lives. The rule for anyone who comes on lABLEd is that you decide how you
want to be labelled; whether you embrace medical terminology, reclaim a previously offensive eponym, or shake off the shackles of labelling altogether; no one else should make that decision for you.
lABLEd Podcast Review:
Too often, the stories told about disability are stereotypical, rooted in a pity or tragedy narrative, with no input or influence from disabled people themselves. Which is extremely problematic as it impacts negatively the day-to-day lived experience of disabled people. What is heartening is the amount of platforms emerging that are giving voice to the true story of disability and lABLEd podcast is one such platform.
A much needed podcast, created by disabled people for disabled people, what Alice Evans and Lucy Woods (and Daisy Holder, their disability history specialist) is creating with lABLEd is groundbreaking. With their wide variety of guests, and permission giving for their guests to label themselves (or not), each episode is filled with laughter, tears, and a growing understanding of the reality of disability.
Not shying away from difficult topics or themes, such as mental health, ‘inspiration porn’, and representation, guests have included influencer Jennie Berry, aka Wheelie Good Life, Dr Paul Darke, a British academic and disability rights activist, and Gemma Stevenson, wheelchair tennis athlete and broadcaster.
You can find the podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and on Stitcher.
ASSISTIVE LISTENING HAS COME A LONG WAY
“Please speak clearly. Slow down, I can’t understand you.”
“I can’t hear the TV while you are talking!”
“How can I hear you if you all talk at once?”
“Don’t shout at me! Just speak slowly and more clearly!
It’s not that I can’t hear anything, but I can’t hear the conversation above the unwanted noises. With two good ears, our amazing brains can hear several things at once and make sense of a quiet conversation in a noisy environment. With only one good ear, there’s much less information to work on, so following a conversation among the noise is much more difficult.
Why not go to a busy noisy place and stick your finger in one ear! You might be surprised how much harder is it to have a quiet conversation. (You might also get some funny looks!). With one or both ears impaired, we need help to follow a conversation.
In the 1980’s hearing aid technology developed rapidly with the introduction of programmable hearing aids. In the 90’s Digital signal processors started to reduce noise.
Hearing aids were being programmed with an audiogram “prescription” to compensate for individual hearing loss. However, speech was still elusive amongst the unwanted noises, so you still had to move nearer to the person you were listening to…. Or use a remote microphone!
Today’s inexpensive Assistive Listening solutions often provide a wired or wireless remote microphone that can be placed close to the person who is talking or teaching. A radio link conveys the sound directly into the prescription hearing aid, providing the clearest possible sound from the person speaking. Some remote microphones or “Streamers” feed the sound into the hearing aids via its “loop” or “T” receiver. These work with all “loop” equipped hearing aids so you don’t need to purchase a new one whenever you change hearing aid. With these systems, many people may listen to the sound from a single microphone. This is particularly useful in schools.
By the turn of the century hearing aid manufacturers became confident that the rapid evolution of digital signal processing chips would make remote microphones obsolete. In fact nearly all the hearing aid manufacturers eventually introduced their own unique remote microphones.
Many hearing aids now include Bluetooth which works great if you can pair it with your mobile phone. You can take calls and hear them better than ever before, because the sound is sent as data directly to your prescription aids without having to go through a speaker and microphone. You can sometimes get a mobile app for making adjustments to the aids, without having to visit the Audiologist. Bluetooth is however a short-range technology, so isn’t so much use in a classroom or church for a remote microphone, and still these accessories tend to be expensive and to work exclusively with their own brand of hearing aids. Conversor uses FM technology, which has longer range and a more reliable connection than Bluetooth. One Conversor microphone can “broadcast” to numerous listeners, and numerous wall mounted “sound field” speakers, at the same time. Receivers, worn as a pendant by each listener, can be heard on the “T” mode of any hearing aid. Soundfield speakers mimic the teachers voice, at the same volume, providing a quiet, clear sound throughout any size of room, overcoming some problems with poor room acoustics. Today there are a variety of mobile apps which can recognize sounds and inform you if the kettle is boiling, or the doorbell or fire alarm is ringing.
But possibly the biggest breakthrough in mobile assistive listening came via
Google in early 2019. Google partnered with Gallaudet University, a premier school for deaf and hard of hearing students and developed a remarkable speech recognition engine, then bundled it as an Android app. “Live Transcribe” delivers real-time text from the microphone on any Android device that’s on the Internet. Free. Conversor sell an inexpensive Android tablet suitably configured.
So now, from a portable microphone we have a sound field in the classroom, so the teacher doesn’t have to shout. Everyone can hear clearly throughout the room, and numerous individual receivers for hearing impaired students can get teacher’s voice right into their prescription aids. From the same microphone we have a live text display (without a subscription!) for individuals or connected to a projector for the whole class to see.
Conversor Pro remote microphone
Assistive listening has come quite a long way in the last 50 years. conversorproducts.com
Love the conversation. Real life with subtitles making it easier to follow conversation.
Conversor HD wireless microphone broadcasts voice clearly to speakers receivers and displays
SOUNDFIELD SPEAKER
+ Mains powered speakers reproduce the voice via the Conversor HD wireless microphone. + Presenter does not have to shout + Overcomes poor room acoustics + Speakers placed at 4m-6m intervals + Up to 20m x 20m room + Easy installation, no specialist installer needed
CONVERSOR RECEIVER
+ Clear voice from the presenter’s microphone direct into the listeners ears + Discreet compact wireless device + Rechargeable battery lasts up to 8 hours + High power Loop output compatible with most hearing aids + Earphone jack for those without a hearing aid + USB charger or Multi-charger case available for receivers and microphone
REAL-TIME TEXT DISPLAY
+ 10” Android tablet display + 4 hour battery life + 3M power lead for mains/USB power + Connected via Conversor pendant receiver + Desk stand + HDMI micro Projector port
Visit www.conversorproducts.com to browse or chat, or call 01483 608 404
