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Equipment & Technology for People Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Technological inventions have enabled people who are deaf or hard of hearing to function with greater independence. Different technology is used for varying degrees of hearing loss. In large group settings, assistive listening devices carry sound directly to the ear of a person who is hard of hearing. Sometimes, they are used along with a person’s hearing aid. Clear amplified sound without background noise can help a person who is hard of hearing understand speech.

Deaf people are often not helped by “listening” devices. Devices that are more useful to deaf people change auditory information to visual information. Flashing lights or vibrators can be used for alarms, doorbells or telephone ringers. Text telephones and captioning for television programs provide typed-out messages instead of sound.

Below are pictures and descriptions of equipment and technology used by people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Links to relevant programs coordinated by NCDHH are included.

Image of a Braille Phone

Hearing Aids

Hearing aids help transmit sounds to be understood by people who are hard of hearing. There are many different types of hearing aids with various functions. Telecoils (T-coils) and Direct Audio Input (DAI) allow different sound sources to be directly connected to hearing aids, which improves sound quality and allows the hearing aid wearer to easily perceive sounds and speech, regardless of background noise. They can be used with telephones, FM systems, induction loop systems and public address systems. Digital hearing aids can be adjusted for sound quality and response time to meet the needs of a user.

Click here to learn about hearing aid banks coordinated by NCDHH.

 

Audio-Loops

Audio-loops allow optimum microphone placement and have a loop of wire, which creates a magnetic field to allow sound to be heard by hearing aid users who have a T-coil switch. Individuals who do not use a hearing aid can use a loop receiver to pick up the sound. These systems may be integrated into an existing public address system.

Image of a Braille Phone

FM Systems

Pocket Talkers are small, battery-operated, wireless and portable devices that use radio transmissions to send auditory signals from speakers (microphones) to listeners (receivers).
FM systems can also be larger devices that are used for group settings. These bigger units process sounds obtained from multiple receivers to be transmitted to hard of hearing people participating in the gathering.

Click here to learn about loan programs offering personal FM systems.

Image of a Braille Phone

Infrared Systems

An infrared listening system consists of both a transmitter and a receiver, and the device works by sending invisible infrared light waves carrying sound from the transmitter to the receiver. In order to work effectively, the receiver needs to be within the direct line of sight of the infrared beam emitted from the transmitter. Many receivers can be utilized with one infrared transmitter. However, all receivers must be on the same channel as the transmitter.

Unlike other ALDs, the infrared system is more secure because the sound is not picked up in other rooms. There are three different ways that the sound can be transmitted. A person who is not wearing a hearing aid can use the receiver with an ear headset. For people who wear hearing aids that have a T-coil switch, the signal is picked up through the loop. For those with hearing aids that are equipped with direct audio input, the listener’s hearing aid is connected directly to the infrared system.

Image of a Braille Phone

Telephone Amplifiers

Telephone amplifiers are devices used by people who are hard of hearing who have some residual hearing and use their voice. The amplifier makes sounds louder and clearer. There are several different ways a telephone can be amplified; a volume control in the handset, an in-line amplifier that is attached to the telephone and a phone that has built- in amplification. Public pay phones have a button to press or a sign explaining how to increase the volume.

Phones manufactured after Jan. 1,1989, must be hearing aid compatible. If a person’s hearing aid has a T-coil switch, the conversation can be amplified without having to use an amplifying device with the phone. The Hearing Aid Compatibility Act of 1988 required that telephones located in workplace commons areas and credit card operated telephones be compatible with hearing aids.

Click here to learn about a program that provides free amplified telephones to Nebraskans with a hearing loss.

CART

CART (Computer Assisted Real-time Transcription) records speech for display in a typed format that people can read on a screen. This service is provided by a stenographer who records speech at the speed it is spoken. This information is sent to a computer, TV, monitor or a large screen. A separate projection screen can be attached for large group viewing. CART is used in many settings, including courtrooms, meetings, conferences, legislative sessions and schools.

CAN/C-Print

CAN (Computer Assisted Notetaking) and C-Print are services that utilize a typist to record the general message of a conversation or lecture for display on a laptop computer. CAN and C-Print are different from CART in several ways, because they are condensed forms of what is being said, whereas CART presents messages verbatim. CAN and C-Print use a typist to enter text, while CART is provided by a real-time stenographer or court reporter. CAN and C-Print are used in situations where individuals need some visual information but are not totally reliant on full-text transcriptions.

Image of a Braille Phone

Video Phones

Video phone communications can be executed in a variety of ways. Initially, video phone calls were made solely via computers equipped with Webcams. Using an Internet connection, two callers can communicate visually through streaming video. The drawbacks of using computers and Internet connections is the screen size is small, and video quality can drop if one’s Internet connection speed slows.

A true video phone is a receiver that is hooked up to a TV and transmits communications through a cable line. Using a video phone, an individual can call another person with a video phone directly, or he or she can use a relay service to call a regular telephone.

A video relay service connects a deaf person with an operator who interprets calls for the individual. The deaf person signs to the interpreter who then speaks what is being signed to the hearing person on the other end of the line. Then, the interpreter signs the responses from the hearing person.

Currently, there are new types of portable video phones. These devices can be transported and used anywhere there is an Internet connection.

Image of a Braille Phone

TTY/TDD/TTs

A teletypewriter (TTY), which is sometimes referred to as a TDD or TT, is a device that allows people who are deaf or hard of hearing to converse over a telephone line. Instead of speaking, a deaf person types his or her message on a TTY, which is simultaneously sent to another TTY.

A TTY looks like a small typewriter keyboard. It has a telephone modem and a small LCD screen. To use a TTY, a person dials the phone and places the handset in the TTY’s couplers/modem. An electronic signal is then transmitted across the phone line to another TTY. Other types of TTYs are directly connected to the telephone jack. With this type of equipment, the telephone number is dialed either through the telephone or through the TTY. The telephone handset is placed on the table instead of in the TTY’s couplers. TTY software is also available that can be installed on a computer, which can allow a person to use a computer to place and receive TTY calls. The Nebraska Relay Service (NRS) relays telephone calls between two people when one person does not have a TTY.

Click here to learn about a program that provides free TTYs to Nebraskans who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Signalers

Signalers are devices that allow people to be aware of typical audible warnings. These devices alert people who are deaf or hard of hearing to the telephone, a doorbell, a baby crying, fire/smoke alarms, timers, alarm clocks, pagers, etc. Two basic types of signalers are available. One is a flashing light signaler, which is probably the most commonly-used signaling system device, and the second device is a vibrating signaler.

Click here to learn about a program that provides free signaling devices to Nebraskans who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Cochlear Implants

Cochlear implants are electronic devices that are surgically implanted in a person to stimulate his or her auditory nerve. These devices are typically offered only to those with a severe to profound hearing loss who do not benefit from hearing aids.