Chris Puglia
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Nov 27/02) - According to the Yellowknife chapter of the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association (CHHA) one in four Canadians have a hearing disability.

Statistically that would mean 4,500 Yellowknifers have difficulty hearing.

That is why the CHAA has sent a letter to all local churches to install personal FM systems to be used during services.

The United Church is the first to comply with the request. The church uses the system that comes complete with individual FM receivers that either can be used via headphones or can send a signal directly to a person's hearing aid.

The CHHA membership tested the system last week and raved about the results.

Members said it completely eliminated all background noise, something that is vital when you are trying to listen during a church service.

Esther Braden, CHHA president, said she hopes other churches begin to follow suit. A member of the Anglican Church she said it would be very useful during their services.

"I know the church that I belong to we have a morning service and three or four people are hard of hearing," she said.

"The United Church has been using it for about a month and it's most satisfactory. It eliminates all background noise."

Braden said she would like to see the systems used at all of the churches, local workshops and conferences.

Bev Speight, a member of the CHHA, has been hearing impaired all her life and the FM system has been a godsend for her.

"I find them wonderful. I used them all the way through university," said Speight.

"Until I used one of these I didn't know what I was missing. I could hear what was going on. Life becomes much more interesting when you can hear."