Captioned Telephone Service
As you can imagine, a service
that provides captioning of what the person on the other end of the phone
line says is VERY
helpful to people with hearing loss. The system has a call assistant (CA)
between the person using a standard phone and the person using a captioned
phone. The CA repeats everything the person using the standard phone says
into a voice recognition system, which then sends the resulting text to the
person using the captioning service.
Did you know that captioned telephone service is also available on the Internet?
Anyone with a phone and an Internet-connected computer now has access to
this wonderful service.
Here's our
coverage of Web CapTel and similar services.
Our sponsors would be
delighted to help you with your telephone captioning needs. Please
visit them:
WCI
(Captel)
Hamilton
CapTel
October 2006 - Here's Mark Finn with some tips for
getting the most out of your CapTel phone.
Massachusetts OHL Folks Seek CapTel Service
September 2007 -
Here's our coverage of the Captioned Telephone Workshop Presented by the
CapTel folks at the 2007 TDI Conference
August 2008 -
CapTel Summer 2008 Newsletter Available Online
February 2009 -
PhoneCaption Provides Free Telephone Captioning Services
March 2009 -
Americans with Disabilities Act paved the way for CapTel and
Web CapTel
April 2009 - Hearing Loss Association of
America Position Statement Regarding Captioned Phones & the California
Public Utility Commission
April 2009 - Ultratec
Announces New IP-Based Captioned Telephone
April 2009 -
Hamilton CapTel introduced the CapTel 800i captioned
telephone
April 2009 - Hamilton CapTel Aligns with
Oaktree Products, Inc.
April 2009 - Hamilton CapTel
Announces Alliance with EPIC, Inc.
April 2009 -
Sprint Announces Upcoming Availability of Next Generation of CapTel Phones
June 2009 - Report
on CapTel 800i from HLAA Convention
July 2009 - FCC
Requests Comments on Mandatory Captioned Telephone Relay Service
August 2009 - Captioned telephones help those with hearing
loss
August 2009 - COAT Supports Nationwide CapTel in Statement
to FCC
March 2010 - A Brief History of Captioned Phones
June 2010 - Hamilton CapTel(r) Introduces iPhone(r) App
for Mobile Captioned Telephone
July 2010 - Hamilton CapTel(r) Now Serves Massachusetts
September 2010 - Hamilton Mobile CapTel Introduces
Application for BlackBerry Smartphones
September 2010 - Introducing the Hamilton Mobile CapTel
Application for BlackBerry Smartphones
November 2010 - Hamilton Launches Phone Caption
Solution for Android
January 2010 - Hamilton CapTel(r) and TV Ears to Display
CapTel (r) Phone at Consumer Electronics Show
April 2011 - Maryland Relay Offers Mobile Captions
Service(SM)
April 2011 - ClearCaptions(TM) Launches New Telephone
Captioning Service
June 2011 - Hamilton Releases Mobile CapTel Android App
September 2011 - Hamilton CapTel(r) Celebrates 12 Million
Captioned Telephone Conversations
September 2011 - New CaptionCall Service to Support
Millions of Americans With Hearing Loss
October 2011 -
Smartphone
Captioning Application Being Developed
November 2011 - Clarity, ClearCaptions Team Up to Deliver
New Solutions to Millions With Hearing Loss
February 2012 - Hamilton Relay Showcases Innovative
Speech-to-Speech and Captioned Telephone Services
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dubbed "CapTel," a captioned telephone
service by Wisconsin-based Ultratec, the new technology would allow close
to real-time voice-recognition conversations. According to supporters of
the bill, there would not be an additional cost for telephone users if the
state allows the new technology, but a Verizon official said he had
concerns related to how the additional relay service would be funded.
Sprint Nextel's government affairs manager Gary Horewitz, whose company
intends to provide the captioned telephone service to residents, said
Massachusetts requires 100 percent of relay traffic to be carried within
the state. He said with passage of the bill, residents could have access
to the out-of-state relay service through his company. Full
Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
August 2008
Those of you
who use the CapTel phone may be interested in reading this great newsletter.
You can have it sent to you in email, or you can read it online. Topics in
the Summer 2008 issue are:
* Using
CapTel after a Power Disruption
* CapTel Web
Site - More Information, New Format
* 2-Line
Mode: Benefits & Requirements
* Use of
Hearing Aids and Assistive Listening Devices
* CapTel
Service - Always Free
Here's the newsletter!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
March 2009
Frank Endres, the National Outreach Manager for
Hamilton CapTel and Hamilton Web CapTel, has written an insightful article
that provides a clear and concise historical perspective on the development
of relay services in response to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Following that general review, he focuses on the development and
capabilities of the various flavors of CapTel technology.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
August 2009
She tried dozens of phones over the years with
different amplifications and frequencies, but none could overcome what she
calls a "communication disorder." But hope arrived about five years ago in
the form of a captioned telephone demonstrated at a meeting of the New
Jersey Relay advisory board. A captioned telephone, or CapTel, uses
operator-assisted, voice recognition technology that allows the user to hear
and read what is being said on the other end of the line. "I said, "If I
don't get this phone, I'm going to put my head in the oven,' " Sudler
quipped.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
August 2009
In a six page statement to the FCC -- the federal
agency that regulates relay services for people with speech & with hearing
disabilities -- COAT submitted Comments supporting a nationwide mandate for
captioned telephone service (CTS) as a form of telecommunications relay
service. COAT's comments emphasized that CTS, where available now, is used
by a unique and growing number of people, that CTS has been proven to work,
that there is diverse and industry support for CTS, that the marketplace is
expanding and that there is a need for a nationwide approach to providing
CTS. For further information email COAT.
Here's the statement!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
March 2010
In 2003, the captioned telephone was introduced. In
its original form, CapTel was an analog technology that allowed those with
hearing loss to listen to and read captions of the other party's words
through the use of a specially designed CapTel phone. Captions appeared on
the phone display screen in nearly real time. This advancement in hearing
technology helped create a sense of independence for people who previously
may have felt limited by their hearing loss.
Full Story
