Assistive Technology for individuals with hearing loss falls into three categories: 1) alerting and signaling devices, 2) telecommunication equipment and peripherals, and 3) assistive listening devices. We will begin with simple low tech AT and then move to devices with more features.

Simple Assistive Technology

Some of the simplest tools are the things that substitute light for sound.

Alerting and Signaling devices. There are alarm clocks that can be set to flash or even shake the bed. There are also products that signal visually when the door bell or the telephone rings, when smoke or carbon monoxide detectors sound, when there is someone knocking on the door, when a baby cries, or any other identifiable sound occurs in the environment.

These items are available from specialty vendors such as Woodlake Technologies, http://www.woodlaketechnologies.com, Independent Living Aids, Inc., 1-800-537-2118, http://independentliving.com/home.asp, LS & S Group, Inc. (1-800-468-4789, http://www.lssgroup.com, or Maxi Aids, 1-800-522-6294, http://www.maxiaids.com.

Telephones and Accessories. There are dozens of telephones now available that allow varying degrees of voice amplification and adjustment of pitch and extra loud ringers. And, of course, there are cell phones that vibrate when they ring – or instead of ringing. In addition there are portable voice amplifiers that can be plugged into standard telephones. The phones may be suitable, of course, for individuals with partial hearing loss.

See a general resource such as Woodlake Technologies, http://www.woodlaketechnologies.com, Independent Living Aids, Inc., 1-800-537-2118, http://independentliving.com/home.asp, LS & S Group, Inc. (1-800-468-4789, http://www.lssgroup.com, or Maxi Aids, 1-800-522-6294, http://www.maxiaids.com.

Telecommunication Devices for the Deaf (TDD). These devices which were previously referred to as TTY (teletypewriters) allow a deaf individual to use the telephone by typing in a message and receiving a response on a liquid crystal display (LCD). The TDD may be used to communicate with another TDD user or with a relay operator who speaks the message to a hearing communication partner, waits for the response and then, in turn, types it to the TDD user. TDD/TTY products make it possible for hearing impaired/deaf individuals or people with speech impairments to use the telephone. A flashing light alerts individuals to an incoming call. Some models allow users to create a customized greeting and also act as a text-based answering machine.

They are available from a variety of sources including Woodlake Technologies, http://www.woodlaketechnologies.com, Independent Living Aids, Inc., 1-800-537-2118, http://independentliving.com/home.asp, LS & S Group, Inc. (1-800-468-4789, http://www.lssgroup.com, or Maxi Aids, 1-800-522-6294, http://www.maxiaids.com.