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People who have suffered from a partial
hearing loss can benefit by purchasing special phones for the hearing
impaired. There are a number of options available
and which one is best for you will depend on your special needs.
Typically these phones amplify the
sound of the speaker. They may also have special headsets and be
hearing aid compatible.
In addition, many of these phone that
amplify sounds also have features for the visually impaired.
Such as large button and high visibility print and graphics.
Many people who have trouble hearing have difficulty
with high pitched sounds. This is common as we get older. In fact
some cell phones are equipped with a high frequency ring tone that
many adults can’t
hear. (Teenagers can, though. I guess it's their market.) These
high frequency sounds are sometimes very hard for older adults
to hear.
Some phones for the hearing challenged have
a feature that amplifies high frequency sounds. This helps the
listener distinguish between some words that are difficult to tell apart
and it can help the listener hear high pitched voices better as
well.
Many people have trouble hearing women and
children on the telephone. The high frequency amplifier is a great
tool for hearing these higher voices more clearly. This is not
a standard in all of these phones so double
check for this feature before you make a purchase if high pitched
sounds are difficult for you to hear very well.
An interesting technology that has emerged
is bone conduction. Bone conduction technology may help people with
conductive hearing loss to hear phone conversations more easily.
You can see an example of it in this Panasonic
cordless telephone.
The Panasonic may also be helpful for people working in noisy environments.
Some people are not able to hear over the telephone
at all. These individuals can still use a hearing impaired phone
service that include an extra feature: a TTY unit.
The TTY is a teletype unit
that is connected to the telephone. These hearing
impaired phones are used when high frequency
clarification and amplification are not enough. One example of a TTY Phone is this AT&T Advanced TTY 8840 Phone
The people who use these telephones for the
hearing impaired actually communicate through type instead of speech.
Some of these hearing impaired phone systems use a relay system.
This involves a third party who types what the speaker says so
the listener can read what is being said.
When using a phone that features a relay system the speaker is not talking
directly to the person he is calling. He speaks to a typist who puts the
words into type for the hearing impaired person.
The basic phones for the hearing impaired can be found right online. You
can compare options and features and decide which approach is best for you.
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