Universit� degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

Unimore launches pilot project “Hearing Loop” for full accessibility of university spaces

The University of Modena and Reggio Emilia has launched a pilot project to improve accessibility in classrooms and service desks across its Modena and Reggio Emilia campuses, through the installation of “Hearing Loop” systems. These induction loop technologies allow people with hearing impairments to receive clear and direct audio signals from microphones and sound systems. The project has been rolled out across six university buildings, including main lecture halls and student services desks.

The details of the project were presented today, 9 September, in Lecture Room B of the Department of Law, during a press conference attended by the Rector, Professor Carlo Adolfo Porro, and Professor Elisabetta Genovese, Rector’s Delegate for Disability and Specific Learning Difficulties (SLD). The meeting provided an opportunity to outline the aims of the project and to demonstrate how the technology works in practice.

The project was promoted by the Student Services Unit for Disability and SLD, within the Directorate of Student Services, which identified the most urgent needs based on feedback collected in recent years. Unimore’s Technical Directorate oversaw the design and execution of the works, managing the installation of the systems and their integration with existing equipment. This joint effort combined the university’s administrative and technical expertise, with the goal of creating genuinely accessible learning environments.

The selected sites were chosen for their central role in teaching and student services. In Reggio Emilia, installations were carried out at the Student Services desk in Viale Allegri, the Aula Magna Manodori in Palazzo Dossetti, and the Aula Magna of Palazzo Baroni. In Modena, the intervention concerned Lecture Room B in San Geminiano, Lecture Room P0.4 in the “Enzo Ferrari” Department of Engineering, and the Auditorium of the Tecnopolo.

Two types of solutions were adopted. At service desks, an “under the counter” system was installed, consisting of a driver, induction loop, and microphone, capable of overcoming physical barriers such as glass screens or partitions. In classrooms and auditoria, an induction loop was placed around the perimeter of the space, connected to control units and microphone systems, enabling signals to be received directly by hearing aids and cochlear implants equipped with a telecoil. In some cases, such as in the larger lecture halls, a “Loop Listener” device was also installed to monitor signal quality.

The system is simple yet highly effective. Speech is picked up by microphones, converted into a magnetic signal by the amplification system, and transmitted to users with compatible hearing devices. In this way, the lecturer’s or speaker’s voice reaches the student without interference or background noise, ensuring full comprehension even in crowded settings.

“This pilot project,” emphasised the Rector of Unimore, Professor Carlo Adolfo Porro , “marks the beginning of a path that our University intends to pursue on an ongoing basis. The aim is to progressively extend the installation of ‘Hearing Loops’ to other buildings and service areas, thereby creating a widespread network of accessible classrooms. This investment reflects the mission of a public university, which cannot limit itself to providing quality teaching and research, but must also ensure real conditions of participation for the entire student community. The collaboration between the Directorate of Student Services and the Technical Directorate demonstrates the importance of an integrated approach. In this case, attentiveness to students’ needs has resulted in a tangible intervention that modernises facilities and makes them consistent with the principle of inclusion that inspires Unimore.”

“Starting from the pandemic period,” added Professor Elisabetta Genovese, who, together with Dr Giacomo Guaraldi, serves as the Rector’s Delegate for Disability and SLD, “the Student Services Unit has focused particularly on making lectures accessible to students with hearing impairments who experienced difficulties accessing online lessons, by providing a captioning service. I have now considered it appropriate to propose equipping certain classrooms – those most frequently used for teaching, seminars, or conferences – with a system capable of linking the lecturer’s microphone directly to participants’ hearing aids or cochlear implants. The Hearing Loop system, widely used abroad and internationally for many years in public venues such as hospitals, theatres, cinemas, and local council offices, is being adopted here at Unimore for the first time in an Italian university. By equipping our classrooms with this technology, I believe we can make our University an increasingly inclusive and welcoming place.”

According to national estimates, around five million people in Italy have hearing impairments, at least 250,000 of whom are severely or profoundly affected. For university students, this condition can lead to persistent difficulties in accessing lectures, conferences, and services. Unimore’s initiative addresses this need with a technological and structural solution.

Categorie: International - english, Notizie_eng