Today, people with hearing loss have many options beyond the basic instrument that Alexander Graham Bell invented that can improve their ability to communicate effectively via a landline telephone. Some of the features include powerful amplifiers, adjustable tone controls, input jacks, big buttons, ring flashers, extra loud ringers, missed call and voice mail indicators and telecoil compatibility. The most logical approach to deciding on which phone is right for you is to determine the features that you desire and then choose a telephone that best meets your needs.
For a person with hearing loss, using a telephone can be challenging even when you have the right equipment because the quality of the conversation depends on both parties’ telephones and connections. You might have a high-quality phone with amplification capabilities through which you can hear well most of the time but if you are conversing with a friend who uses a $10 phone or a cheap cell phone, you may still have difficulty understanding.If pumping up the volume on your end does not work with certain callers, consider asking the speaker to speak directly into the mouthpiece of the phone, pick up the phone if they are using speakerphone, call back on a landline if they are using a cell phone or cut down the background noise on their end. Even though it can be difficult to understand someone using speakerphone, many people with hearing loss prefer to listen on speakerphone because they can hear better using both ears.
If you are having trouble hearing through the telephone and you are still using a regular phone, instead of avoiding using the phone, take the plunge and get an amplified phone. For people with mild to moderate hearing loss, a simple amplified phone will probably do the trick. People who wear a hearing aid with a telecoil will want a telecoil-compatibility feature as well. When traveling and not able to use your amplified home or office phone, a portable phone amplifier may improve your understanding on any corded phone.
For moderate to severe hearing loss, look for higher decibel (dB) boost in amplified phones – from 30 to 50-dB boost. Adjustable tone control is another desirable feature that will keep sound quality high as you amplify it. Extra loud ringers are helpful and, of course, telecoil compatibility is a great feature for hearing aid wearers with moderate to severe hearing loss as well.
People with severe to profound hearing loss will want the greatest amplification possible, currently 55 dB, if hearing is possible at all. If hearing is not possible, you can still use your voice to speak on the phone while you receive written response on a screen or printer with a text telecommunication device for the Deaf (TTD or TTY). This technology, called voice carry-over (VCO), keeps phone communication as personal as possible for people with profound hearing loss. Ring flashers and shakers that can be placed in the bed help the profoundly deaf know when someone is calling.
Other bells and whistles, like voice mail and missed call indicators and big numbers for people who also have visual impairment, come on some models and the top-of-the-line models come with features like caller ID. Input jacks are helpful to people who prefer to wear a headset or loop when speaking on the phone or for plugging into cochlear implant sound processors. Headsets send sound to both ears and help block background noise on your end to improve communication.
A number of reputable manufacturers produce telephones with a variety of features. HITEC® Group International’s Clearsounds™ line offers a range of products from the portable telephone amplifier ($34.95) to the Clearsounds CS-40XLC Amplified Freedom Phone ($159.95) with 50-dB boost, caller ID, speakerphone, built-in strobe and optional bed shaker ring signaler.
Clarity®, a Division of Plantronics, a leading supplier of amplified telephones for individuals with hearing loss, has three product lines: Clarity Professional®, Clarity and Ameriphone. Recently, Clarity unveiled Clarity Digital Power™, a digital technology similar to that used in hearing aids that provides multi-band compression, acoustic echo cancellation and noise reduction in addition to 40-dB amplification to accommodate those with a moderate to severe hearing loss. In effect, Clarity Digital Power makes soft sounds more audible and loud sounds more bearable. This technology is available in two new models, the Professional C2210 ($239.95) and C4205 ($229.95). These top models have all the standard features found in most Clarity phones and additional features such as tone control settings and ring flashers. The C2210 has call waiting, caller ID and a built-in alarm clock along with optional bed shaker and lamp flasher accessories. The C4205 features a vibrating handset ringer, mute and page functions and emergency speed dial keys. Both models are telecoil compatible and have 2.5 and 3.5 output jacks.
The Clarity line telephones for people with mild-to-moderate hearing loss can be purchased at retail stores such as Radio Shack® and Wal-Mart®. These phones feature Clarity® Power™ technology and some added features can include boost reset, extra-large lighted dial pad, adjustable ringer, ring flasher, redial and hold buttons, memory keys for speed dialing, up to three extra-large programmable emergency buttons, message-waiting and missed-call indicator lights, one-step voice mail recall, call waiting and caller ID with a large LCD display and caller ID memory. Corded Clarity amplified telephones typically range in price from $40 to $150 and the cordless models from $70 to $200.
The Ameriphone products come with many of the standard features of the Clarity line including Clarity Power technology in both corded and cordless models with varying levels of amplification to meet specific hearing loss needs. Additional features of the Ameriphone XLs may include: missed call indicator, voice mail indicator, back-lit big buttons, 12 memory buttons for speed dialing, redial, hold and flash buttons, desk or wall mounting, and an input jack and battery backup in case of power outage. Models in the XL series range in price from $100 to $190. Clarity’s Ameriphone cordless models also have a low battery indicator, base-to-handset paging and, in some models, speakerphone in the handset and the base and 2.5 and 3.5 mm input jacks. Telephones in this series range in price from $140 to $285.
The Ameriphone VCO has features similar to the XL series and can be used as an amplified phone for people with a moderate hearing loss. With its VCO feature, this phone also works for people who are Deaf or profoundly hearing impaired who wish to use their voice to communicate through relay services. It supports normal TTY communication (45.5 and 50 baud), has a built-in text answering machine and has a programmable emergency button that transmits the user’s name, address and telephone number in text for quick response by emergency services.
Finally, the Ameriphone DIIIP Text Telephone ($489) is a top-of-the-line TTY that has a text answering machine with two programmable personalized text greetings and built-in high-speed printer with three print sizes. It has a 51-key, full-size PC-style keyboard with a flexible acoustic coupler that works with most telephone handset shapes. The TTY display is bright and easy to read and the DIIIP features an extra bright visual ring indicator.
If all this sounds just grand but your budget is too tight to squeeze in a new phone, check out your state’s loan or subsidy program for assistive communication equipment. The Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program Association (TEDPA) is a national organization formed to support statewide programs responsible for distribution of specialized telecommunications equipment for persons with disabilities. Click on the “state programs” link at www.tedpa.org to find a telecommunication equipment distribution program in your area.
