The wonderful staff and students at Milingimbi School received a Variety NT grant of $10,000 in 2020 as a contribution towards the installation of a Sound-Field System.
Soundfield amplification systems are devices that amplify the teacher’s voice in the classroom. The teacher’s voice is able to be heard more easily over the background noise. Soundfield systems benefit all children in the classroom, including children with a hearing loss.
With the speakers mounted around the room, the teachers and students use microphones to ensure the large number of students with hearing difficulties don’t miss out on any words or sounds.
Milingimbi School is in remote Arnhem Land, NT, in the community of Milingimbi on Milingimbi Island, 440km east of Darwin. The population is approximately 1500 and the main languages spoken are Gupapuyngu, Djambarrpuyngu and Wangguri. They have around 400 students enrolled with almost 95% of the students having impaired hearing, this creates great difficulties in the learning environment. The sound field system is ensuring that everyone can hear each other and obviously making learning fun!
