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TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Links
to helpful articles and websites
regarding hearing aids and telephones:
-
Finding
a HAC Cell Phone,
A "Best of BH" by Susan Boswell
-
Why
Don’t Cell Phones Work With Hearing Aids? "Best of BH" by Beth J. Wilson
-
Washington
Telephone Assistance Program (WTAP)
- State program offering assistance to low-income households in
subscribing to and maintaining local telephone service.
-
For
more information, contact your local telephone company or DSHS 1-800-543-9909. To request a fact sheet
on WTAP, call 1-800-562-6150 or check it out on WUTC’s Internet site at
http://www.wutc.wa.gov
-
Digital
Wireless Telephones and Hearing Aids - Presentor
name: Linda Kozma-Spytek, E-mail: linda.kozma@tap.gallaudet.edu
-
Cell
Phones and HA - This is the last of the NVRC-prepared stories
from the SHHH convention workshop: Using Hearing Aids with Cellular
Phones. The workshop gave a broad overview of wireless phones and also
some specific information and advice. Thanks to Cheryl Heppner for her hard
work in recording and writing up all this great information.
-
Analog.
Digital. What's the Difference?
- By Paul
Wotel. In the telecom world, understanding analog versus
digital isn't as simple as comparing one technology to another. It depends
on what product—and in some cases, which product feature—you happen to
be talking about.
-
Accesswireless.org
- Dedicated to making wireless telecommunications available to the
greatest number of people possible.
-
HAC
Brochure . Courtesy of the Alliance for
Telecommunications Industry Solutions Hearing Aid Compatibility Incubator and
CTIA - The Wireless Association tm - http://www.ctia.org/
-
Washington
State Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program
through ODHH.
Who qualifies? Anyone living in WA State who is deaf, hard of hearing,
deaf-blind, or speech disabled, and mobility restricted. Equipment includes
a TTY, amplified phone, Voice Carry-Over (VCO) phone, large visual display
(for people with low vision) that connects to a TTY or VCO phone. Other
equipment is a hands free phone with remote control switch and microphone
for people who are mobility restricted. Payment is on a sliding scale and is
sometimes free, depending upon income level.
-
Washington
Video Relay Service – Video
relay service (VRS), is a supplement to the traditional TTY relay service,
also provided by state of Washington. The service provides American Sign
Language users with an attractive alternative that offers them the
opportunity to communicate by video conferencing, using their native
language, which may be preferred over the traditional TTY relay service.
http://www.wavrs.com
Articles and contributions of Washington
State HLA members
Cellular phones revisited
By Bert Lederer, Bellingham
Cellular phones are becoming a necessity of
modern life. Owning one keeps you in touch with business contacts, friends
and relatives, and is particularly useful in emergency situations.
Most hearing aid users are excluded from
owning a cellular phone because they are unaware of the, albeit limited,
products currently on the market that allow full accessibility. Worse
yet, nationwide corporate customer service representatives and sales
representatives in retail outlets of major cellular service providers have
little or no knowledge of accessible products.
I visited six major retail cellular
service outlets in Bellingham: The Good Guys, VoiceStream, Intelli-Touch,
Mobile Music, Verizon and AT&T. All offer several cellular phone models
from one or more of the major manufacturers: Nokia, Motorola, and Sony
Ericsson. During each visit I said, “I am hearing impaired and need a
cellular phone that is compatible with the telecoils in my hearing aids.
What products do you have available?”
The Good Guys’ cellular phone manager said
he never heard of hearing aid compatible cellular phones or equipment. I
asked about neckloops, and he pointed to a lanyard on display and asked me
if that would do. VoiceStream and Intelli-Touch sales representatives also
had no knowledge of hearing aid compatible cellular phones.
The Intelli-Touch representative promised to
call his distributor and get back to me with an e-mail, but I have never
heard from him. Mobile Music’s manager had no knowledge of any hearing aid
compatible products but tried to be helpful by calling the corporation’s
buyer. The buyer said, “None are made.”
The salespeople in Verizon’s kiosk in a
local mega-mall did not know what hearing aid compatible meant. Once I
explained what telecoils are all about, they were surprised and said they
never heard of any compatible products. Later, I called Verizon corporate
Customer Service. The representative who answered told me they were not
permitted to discuss hearing aid compatible products.
AT&T is a different story altogether. The
local sales representative was quite knowledgeable of Nokia and other
hearing aid compatible cellular products. Nokia Inductive Neckloops were
displayed on pegboards along with other cellular phone accessories.
It is important to understand that specific
products meet specific needs. I quickly found that not all cellular phones
are hearing aid compatible by themselves, and not all cellular phones that
are hearing aid compatible work well with all hearing aids.
There are two types of cellular technology—analog
and digital. Although most analog phones are hearing aid compatible, digital
phones appeal to most people because of the lower service expense and
variety of useful features. Digital signals, however, usually interfere with
most hearing aids by causing a buzzing, humming, or static noise when the
phone is placed near the hearing aid.
Before shopping, you should be familiar with
what I believe is the best accessory for hearing aids with telecoils—an
inductive neckloop, which is made by both Motorola and Nokia. It enhances
sound by transmitting speech from the phone to the hearing aid via a wire
loop around the user’s neck and connected to the bottom of the phone. You
switch the hearing aid to T-mode (telecoil), and answer the call. A built-in
microphone provides full hands-free operation. By using a neckloop, you
distance the phone receiver from your hearing aid, thereby eliminating the
buzzing caused by digital transmission. Using the telecoil function of your
hearing aids cuts out background noise, and comprehension is increased when
you use both ears to hear. Most important, the neckloop gives people with
telecoil-equipped hearing aids access to a greater range of digital phones,
including many they may not have been able to use previously.
Useful sites: Nokia: http://www.nokiaaccessibility.com
and
Motorola: http://commerce.motorola.com/consumer/QWhtml/accessibility.html.
You can contact Bert at bertlederer@attbi.com
Mobile solutions
Car speakerphone
Don Pickens, Redmond
My business requires me to use a cell phone
in my car. I have a Nokia 5100 series cell phone with a special neck- loop
accessory (purchased from AT&T), and I hear fine on it. But it is
difficult to use in my car, because of the process of connecting the
neckloop and putting my hearing aids on t-coil. I bought a hands free
"car kit" and had it installed in my car. I like it because I can
use it like a speakerphone, and I can hear conversations clearly and
conveniently. When the phone rings, I just push the button on the phone to
answer hands-free. A mic by the sun visor picks up my conversation to the
caller, and I can adjust the volume of the incoming call. I can remove the
cell phone from the cradle and take it with me wherever I go, use my
neckloop, and then just pop it back in the cradle when using the phone in
the car.
I have a moderate to severe hearing loss and
think this would be useful for anyone who can hear on a regular speaker
phone on a high volume. You need to contact a place like Magnolia Hi Fi or
Car Toys, who have installation facilities in their stores and carry car
kits.
Work directly with the installer to make sure
he understands your hearing loss and places any portable speaker in a
location that is going to work best for you. Mine is placed under my arm
rest, and the speaker is reasonably close to me, maximizing the speaker
volume for my needs.
Most cell phone manufacturers have these car
kits.
You can contact Don at dpickens@westec-ltd.com
No
more buzzing!
Marilu Boe, Edmonds
I am using a Samsung SCH 3500 cell phone on
the Sprint PCS network. It works clearly—with no buzzing! I have Oticon
Multi-focus analog aids. A previous Nokia phone (VoiceStream network) buzzed
until connection, not always clear. I tried, but didn’t get any help with
the telecoil.
To Washington State SHHH members,
families and friends:
This is from Susan Matt.
I had to replace my cell phone and I
thought it would be beneficial for you to send a mass message letting SHHH
folks know about the wonderful phone I am using now. The phone is T-coil compatible (NO
INTERFERENCE!) and has a variety of features, including speaker phone and
TTY connection, web access, voice dialing, etc. It is LOUD! I
had to lower the volume when I realized I could use my T-coil and sound
was too loud. The phone model is Audiovox 9155-GPX. It is
equipped with GPS, allowing for emergency locating when 911 is
called. I obtained it through Verizon in Bellevue Square. This is by far the best phone I have found
so far. No need for a loop or other attachment to hear well.
Regards, Susan
Description of the Audiovox 9155-GPX Cell
Phone Tri Mode 1X CDMA Phone with GPS
* 5 inches x 1.8 inches x .8 inches
* Weighs 3.8 ounces
* Tri Mode 800 MHz Amps, 800 MHz CDMA, 1900 MHz CDMA
* 1xRTT Compatible
* MSM5100 Chipset
* WAP Browser: UP 4.1
* Data Capable (up to 144kbps)
* GpsOne
* Multilingual - English, French, Spanish, Portuguese
* Caller ID
* Enhanced Speed Dialing
* E911 Call
* 7 Line Display with Adjustable Text Size
* 11 Melody Ringer / 4 Ringtone Selections
* Memory Alpha Scroll and Search
* Enhanced Phone Book with 99 Name and 297 Number Memory
* Voice Activated Dialing
* 2 Way Short Message Service
* T9 Text Input
* 2 Way Speakerphone
* Vibrating Alert
* Three Way Calling
* TTY Capable
* Voice Mail Notification
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