A CAMPAIGN to help improve hearing aid users' access to local shops and services is inviting the people of Tavistock to get in the loop.

The Royal National Institute for Deaf People, RNID, has launched a campaign to improve accessibility of local businesses, shops and services for hearing aid users, and is inviting people with a loss of hearing to join the charity's work.

The RNID is looking for people to help raise awareness of how fully operational induction loops, which amplify speech over background noise, can significantly improve communication for people with hearing aids.

The campaign is asking hearing aid users in Tavistock to report their experiences of both good practise and poor induction loop provision of the local shops and services in the town.

The RNID is providing induction loop complaint cards, designed to let staff know their induction loop system is not working properly, and sample letters to send to store managers if a bad experience is had.

The RNID said that according to the Disability Discrimination Act, DDA, service providers must make 'reasonable adjustments' to allow access to disabled people, but the two-million hearing aid users throughout the UK are often unable to access services because of problems with, or absence of, loops.

The RNID are asking hearing aid users in Tavistock to send reports of their experiences to [email protected]">[email protected]

For more information about the campaign, and how to order complaint cards and sample letters, visit the RNID website at http://www.rnid.org.uk/inductionloops">www.rnid.org.uk/inductionloops