Sounds like we need to update ourselves on current technology FM/DM systems. I was not aware of these technological advances. Having to bring the mic to/from the professors would make her feel likes she is standing out, but if it worked well for her, I think she might get over that feeling fairly quickly. I’m also now thinking that the Disabilities Coordinator was thinking of today’s systems, and we were envisioning those of 12-13 years ago.
I type some of my responses and think Duh! on me. Ideas make so much sense when others present them, but it is a lot of new information to access, learn, and retain.
I have always hated the feeling of swimming through mud that comes after the diagnosis stage on medical conditions. After the initial sense of relief when there was no tumor, etc., I had another wave of panic as I realized she reads all her textbooks along with the audiobook. A college reading load is already a struggle for her. Although time-consuming, audiobooks enable her to succeed in college, especially in humanities and reading intensive classes. I get very scared when I think of her reading weaknesses combined with the possibility of complete hearing loss.
Yes, the Phonak Roger is DM. ReSound has a proprietary system too, as well as other brands. FM suffers from more interference. It is becoming less popular. Dynamic FM/DM is a good thing for optimal signal:noise
I hope it will reassure you that my son, who s deaf, listens to podcasts. He also loves music. He has a device that will stream to his CIs directly, and such things exist for hearing aids also. He prefers, actually, to put Bose noise cancelling headphones over his CI processors for any kind of audio. This won’t work as well with hearing aids due to feedback (squealing), but suffice it to say, it is still possible to use audiobooks. She could get a streamer and plug in her audio device to it. It will send the sound directly to her hearing aids.
D had surgery today for a BAHA implant. After 3-4 months of healing and bone osseo-integration, she will be able to activate the sound processor. This has been a stressful fall with many surgeon/audiologist appointments and a lot of fighting insurance. D’s college is an 8 hour round trip from the medical appointments. We are exhausted, but looking forward to the future.
She has been able to wear an older model loaner device on a soft headband, with great results. The internally implanted screw and newer model, stronger BAHA will result in even better hearing.
I want to thank all of you who took the time to post support and advice. It was very much appreciated, especially as we were newbies to the hearing loss world.