Telecommunications Access
With the exploding numbers and variety of
telecommunications devices, it is nearly impossible to keep up with all
that is going on. And even harder to keep track of which of this
technology is accessible to people with hearing loss. Federal and state
laws typically require that these devices be accessible to people with
disabilities, if possible. Here's the latest on appropriate access to
this wonderful new technology:
Telecommunications
Relay Service is hardly new technology, but many of the new
services offered by the various relay service providers are new and very
cool.
Probably the biggest telecommunications
challenge for people with hearing loss is how to ensure ongoing
telephone access. As we move towards cell phones,
we need to be especially vigilant to ensure that we maintain access.
The key to all telecommunications is the right to use
the spectrum (range of electromagnetic frequencies) needed to implement
the service. As you might expect there is
competition for this spectrum.
October 2000 - Voice Mail and Voice Menus are often
inaccessible to people with hearing loss and to those with other
disabilities. The FCC has issued a Report and Order that addresses these
issues.
July 2001 -
For the latest and greatest on what's happening in the
telecommunications industry and how it will affect people with hearing
loss, check out this article on The Telecommunications
Products and Services Workshop.
July 2001 - Want to know something about the laws that
affect telecommunications access for people with hearing loss. Then the
TDI workshop entitled Section
255, 508, and Beyond might be just what you're looking for.
July
2002 - The 2002 SHHH Convention Research
Symposium included a very informative discussion of
telecommunications issues by Gallaudet's Judy Harkins, Ph.D.
August
2003 - Do you have a cordless (as opposed to wireless) phone that causes
interference in your hearing aid? Here's what you can do
about it.
August 2003 - Here's a great report on
Brenda Battat's 2003 SHHH convention workshop
on laws that affect telecommunications access.
December
2003 - What's this
about VoIP and possible lack of access for people with hearing loss?
This is a new technology that is taking over telephone communications,
and we have to ensure that access for people with hearing loss is built
in!
January
2004 - Maybe you're thinking that all this attention on cell phones and
relay services and Section 255 is fine, but you just want to hear on a
regular phone. If so, you'll love this information from
Dana Mulvany!
July 2004 - Thinking about a cordless
phone? Before taking the plunge, you might want to check this article
from SHHH. It discusses which cordless phones are
NOT hearing aid compatible and what you can do if you find such a phone!
July
2004 - Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is here
and growing. And it's threatening YOUR telephone access!
September
2005 - The AAPD likes a proposed Congressional bill
that ensures access to broadband services for people with disabilities.
November
2005 - Hate those voice mail systems? Here's a brief
article with a link to a site that tells you how to get to a real live
human for many of the most frequently called companies!
November
2005 - We have frequently expressed our concerns that new technology is
allowing previously regulated services to be replaced by unregulated
services. An example is videos on the internet. Even if they are clips
of captioned TV programs, there is no requirement that the Internet
version retain the captions. Here's a summary of these
issues from the NAD, and a report on what they're doing about it!
April
2006 - Here's another website with a long list of
companies and instructions on how to get a human on the phone (bypassing
their voice mail system!)
July 2006 -
Here's an FCC fact sheet entitled "Hearing Aid
Compatibility for Telephone Equipment".
March 2007
- Coalition of Organizations for Accessible
Telecommunications Launches
June 2007 - COAT
Applauds FCC Decision
June 2007 - Lise
Hamlin's Report on the June 2007 TDI Town Hall Meeting
December 2007 - Proposed Legislation Promotes
Accessibility
January 2008 - Cordless Phones to be Hearing Aid
Compatible
January 2008 - POTS, DSL, or VOIP? Amplified Telephones
and Service Providers
May 2008 -
Democrat wants to
require disability-friendly Internet phones, video
June 2008 -
21st Century Communications
and Video Accessibility Act Introduced
June 2008 - Markey Bill
Explained in Simple Language
March 2010 - WGBH's NCAM Supports Goals of FCC's
National Broadband Plan
September 2010 - Comparison of Wireless
and Acoustic Hearing Aid-Based Telephone Listening Strategies
December 2010 - COAT Affiliates Comment to FCC on Hearing
Aid Compatibility of New Technologies
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January 2004
Dana Mulvany is the Director of the National Information and Training
Center for Hearing Assistive Technology at Self Help for Hard of Hearing
People (SHHH). She's a real technology buff and she has a passion for
educating people on how technology can help them cope with their hearing
loss.
Dana has written a wonderful article entitled "Maximizing our
Ability to Hear on the Phone". Her topics and suggestions include:
- Choose telephone-compatible hearing aids
- Include a telecoil in your hearing aid and be certain it is properly
programmed
- Consider using Direct Audio Input if your hearing aid is so equipped
- You May Hear Better on the Phone with Binaural Hearing
- Consider an Inline Amplifier with Multiple Frequency Bands
- You may benefit from the increased bandwidth of digital wireless
phones or VoIP
To read this great article
please point your browser to:
http://www.healthyhearing.com/healthyhearing/newroot/articles/
arc_disp.asp?article_id=229&catid=1054
(If the URL "spills over" to two lines, you'll have to cut
and paste both parts into your browser's URL field, or you can just use
the shorter link created by Bob MacPherson of bhNEWS: http://makeashorterlink.com/?X1F312E17)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
November 2005
It seems that voice menu systems are popping up everywhere - you
know, the systems that ask you to press one for sales, two for service,
etc. Of course, they're horrible systems for people with hearing loss. I
seem to recall an effort a year or so ago to establish a standard number
sequence to bypass the menu system and get directly to a human, but I
haven't heard anything about it in a long time.
But there is a website that tells you how to get to a live person
when you call many commonly called organizations. You might want to save
this one in your "Favorites": https://www.quickbase.com/db/bam6rdiey?a=q&qid=5
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
April 2006
Here's another website that tells you how to get to a live person when you call many commonly called organizations. You might
also want to save this one in your "Favorites": http://www.gethuman.com/us
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
September 2010
Objective: The purpose of this study was to
examine speech recognition through hearing aids for seven telephone
listening conditions.
Design: Speech recognition scores were measured
for 20 participants in six wireless routing transmission conditions and
one acoustic telephone condition. In the wireless conditions, the speech
signal was delivered to both ears simultaneously (bilateral speech) or to
one ear (unilateral speech). The effect of changing the noise level in the
nontest ear during unilateral conditions was also examined. Participants
were fitted with hearing aids using both nonoccluding and occluding dome
ear tips. Participants were seated in a room with background noise present
and speech was transmitted to the participants without additional noise.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
December 2010
COAT affiliate HLAA and other consumer groups
filed Comments at the FCC in regard to hearing aid compatibility (HAC) for
mobile phones and new technologies.
The group comments were endorsed by multiple COAT
affiliates such as AG Bell, ALDA, NAD, and TDI as well as the Deaf & Hard
of Hearing Consumer Advocacy Network or DHHCAN.
In summary, the groupp said HAC should extend
beyond current wireless network communications technologies and multi-use
devices that extend beyond "phone" functionalities should be included.
Comments also addressed the need for in-store testing of activated
handsets and phones at retail outlets to allow for smarter purchases by
consumers, stating that such return policies should be flexible and
fee-less. The group also commented on access to 9-1-1 services and asked
for clarification on the HAC rule within 2 years.
The comments were in response to the Further
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking released by the Federal Communications
Commission on October 25, 2010.
Read comments here.
