On Feb. 29, 3M donated to the center its Model 80, which contains the technology for that company's Single-Programmable and MultiProgrammable Hearing Instruments. The instruments represent the latest developments in hearing aids. As with many other hearing aids on the market today, both hearing instruments automatically adjust volume levels in many environments, making soft sounds easier to hear and loud sounds more comfortable. The SingleProgrammable Hearing Instrument goes beyond that by allowing users to program its computer chip to a desired overall volume, depending on the user's listening environment. The MultiProgrammable Hearing Instrument offers ultimate flexibility by allowing users to program eight different adjustments on its computer chip.
Users can switch adjustments according to the noise level in varying environments.
All programming for the computers in both hearing instruments are done through hardware and software packages that are included in Model 80, said Karen Helfer, associate professor of Communication Disorders. 3M representatives around the country were instructed to dispense two Model 80s in their district, said Helfer. The local representative, who covers New England and New York State, excluding New York City, gave the donations to this campus and to Northeastern University. The representative, whose office is in Massachusetts, wanted to keep the donations in-state, said Helfer. Helfer said the center purchased two MultiProgrammable Hearing Instruments to be used at the center for demonstration purposes.