sounD SYSTEMS FOR THE HEARinG IMPAIRED bU Rollins BrooM 22 Thratrr Drsign & Trchnology USITT / Limmer 1983 lectronic sound has become an important creative tool in the theatre during the past couple of decades. Indeed, many large performances could not be staged at all without electronic assistance, and our music culture would be profoundly different without amplification. We learned how to build theatres and concert halls with excellent natural acoustics, and we can even make a room adjustable and hence tailor the acoustics to the nature of the presentation. Much of our time, effort, and money go into perfecting the quality of soundboth natural and electronic -while we heed not at all a large minority group that cannot appreciate our efforts. There are 20 million Americans with hearing impairments for whom the theatre holds little magic; and each of us faces the probability of joining that group through disease, trauma, or by just growing old.