Telephones and other electronic communication devices

In a modern society we need to be able to use the telephone at home, in the workplace or whilst travelling. The telecommunications revolution has affected everybody, and deafened people would be at a serious disadvantage if we were unable to cope with the technology involved. Computers are an integral part of every child's education, leaving their parents, never mind their grandparents, feeling ignorant and left behind. Modern technology can be used for good or ill, and anyone who completed their education more than ten years ago may despair at the amount of time youngsters spend glued to the screen exploring the latest video games. But remember, the computer is the entry point to an enormous encyclopaedia of knowledge that can be accessed at home, if you have your own computer, or through an increasing number of libraries and colleges.

Amplified telephones

The inability to pick up the telephone and contact people is one of the most frustrating aspects of deafness. If you have some residual hearing you can buy amplified telephones with volume control. You can buy a small attachment, which fits over the earpiece of a normal telephone, to provide some amplification. Some deaf people find they can use a telephone with an induction coupler with their hearing aid or cochlear implant on the T-switch.

Textphones

If you do not have enough hearing to use even an amplified telephone you need a textphone. Different versions are available, some having a microphone built into the body of the instrument, an integral handset (Uniphone) or cups on which to place the handset of an ordinary phone (Minicom). All have a small screen on which the text is displayed. The number of lines of text shown on the screen depends on the textphone you have. They may have a Voice Carry Over (VCO) facility either integral with the textphone or connected to a separate voice telephone. This enables the deaf person to speak his or her part of the conversation, whilst reading the other person's words from the screen. There is a comparable Hearing Carry Over (HCO) facility, for use by people with a speech impediment. Some textphones can be linked to a PC, allowing the user to select character size, and to print and save conversations.

You don't need to be a technical genius in order to use a textphone. In order to ring another textphone, you simply key in the number you are calling. When the person you are calling answers, his or her words will appear on your screen. You can then type what you want to say and carry on like that until you finish the conversation. An increasing number of businesses are installing textphones so that deafened people can contact them direct.

Telephone text relay services

Most friends and contacts of newly deafened people will be hearing and won't have a textphone. For this situation you need a telephone text relay service such as Text Relay (formerly RNID Typetalk). This is free to join and you do not even need to register to do so. To make a call from your textphone to a hearing person with a normal telephone, you dial 18001 and then the full number you are calling, including the area code. If it is answered by a hearing person, a Text Relay operator will join the call and relay what is said to you as text that appears on your screen. You then have the choice of using VCO for your own response or typing it, in which case it is spoken back to the hearing caller by the operator. Text relay is available 24 hours of every day. All calls handled are strictly confidential and no record is ever made of their content. Hearing people can ring you via text relay by dialling 18002 followed by your textphone number, including the area code. If you need to telephone the emergency services from your textphone, dial 18000, equivalent to 999 on a voice telephone.

Alerting systems such as those described in the “At Home” section of this booklet can be connected to the telephone so that you know when it is ringing. Hearing dogs are frequently trained to alert their owners when the telephone is ringing.

Use of Caller Display equipment, which shows the number of the incoming call before you pick the phone up, can be helpful in households with both hearing and deafened members.

Mobile phones

One of the most widespread uses of modern technology is the development of the mobile phone. For many people in the UK, it is seen as a "must have" accessory. For hard of hearing people a major problem is that digital phones can cause interference with hearing aids. The sound quality delivered by mobile phone handsets may also not be as good. Accessories such as a neck loop may help to reduce interference by increasing the distance between the microphone and the hearing aid and may also help to overcome problems with sound quality. The newer digital hearing aids may also suffer less from this interference, and mobile handsets with better shielding are becoming available. But you should always try out a mobile phone with your hearing aid or cochlear implant before making a purchase.

The most exciting development with mobile phones is their ability to send text messages using SMS (Short Message Service) to another mobile phone or to a landline. If the landline is SMS enabled it will be received as text, if not it will be received as a voice message. Most handsets now have predictive text, so by pressing the keys just once for each letter the phone will predict which word you are trying to send. SMS is not real time, although the message is usually delivered within a few seconds. The other person can then read the message and respond. Text users can also now contact a hearing person from their mobile using Text Relay (formerly RNID Typetalk) if the mobile handset has textphone software.

Videophones

Videophones, either as stand-alone equipment or as computer software, can be useful for deafened people. Screen definition is improving but lipreading is still difficult using them, just as it is from the television screen. Videophones have obvious uses for sign language users.

Electronic mail

Electronic mail (email) is widely used by both deaf and hearing people. You can use a computer (PC) equipped with a modem connected to a telephone line, and you also need to be registered with an Internet service provider (ISP). Registration will include one or more email addresses. Facilities to send and receive emails are increasingly available on other devices, such as mobile handsets and personal digital assistants (PDAs). NADP runs an email newsletter for members.

Fax machines

Written or typed messages can also be sent using a fax machine, connected to another fax machine via the telephone network, but their use is decreasing because of the popularity of email. However, most businesses have fax numbers, so they can still provide a cheap, simple and reliable means of communication.

See also Factsheet 5

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