911 Text Messaging Trial

An improvement on the accessibility of communications services for the hearing and speech impaired:

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) announced a three-month trial that will allow 911 call centres to communicate with pre-registered participants with hearing and speech impairments by text message.

http://deafbc.ca/archives/6324

Posted via email from Ann Reflection

Using (Cell) Phones: FCC mandates ANSI C63.19

the following info comes from Western Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing:

FCC Mandates Cell Phone Compatibility with Hearing Aids- ANSI C63.19

FCC Mandates Cell Phone Compatibility with Hearing Aids- ANSI C63.19
March 22, 2007 // Published as a news service by IHS
Mobile phone manufacturers have one year to comply with a U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandate requiring mobile handsets built or used in the U.S. to comply with the American national standard for cell phone-hearing aid compatibility.
Issued in 2003, the mandate is intended to ensure that new mobile phones available on the market are accessible to individuals using hearing aids.

According to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), mobile phone manufacturers and service providers will have to ensure that at least 50% of all handsets marketed in the U.S. meet the requirements of ANSI C63.19:2006 - Methods of Measurement of Compatibility between Wireless Communications Devices and Hearing Aids by Feb. 18, 2008.

Approved as an American national standard in 2001, ANSI C63.19 was developed by the ANSI Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) C63 on electromagnetic compatibility, a group administered by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

A measurement standard for hearing aid compatibility with wireless communications devices, ANSI C63.19-2006 aims to achieve an acceptable level of performance between cell phones and hearing aids by reducing the interference of radio frequency emissions.

The standard defines emissions and immunity-to-interference requirements, as well as test methods to determine the level of interoperability between the devices. The standard is intended to apply to all types of hearing aids with acoustic output.

According to ANSI, an estimated 28 million Americans have some degree of hearing impairment; by 2030, this number is expected to double. The Hearing Aid Compatibility Act of 1988 (HAC Act) directed the FCC to ensure that all telephones manufactured or imported for use in the U.S., and all "essential" telephones - including phones provided for emergency use, coin-operated phones and phones in the workplace, hospitals, nursing homes and hotel rooms - be hearing aid-compatible.

The increasing reliance on wireless mobile phones for business and personal use, coupled with the growing number of technologically-savvy baby boomers, led the FCC to put pressure on wireless carriers and equipment manufacturers to increase the number of hearing aid-compatible wireless phones available on the market.

IEEE C63.19 2007-JAN-01 • Active/Current •
Methods of Measurement of Compatibility between Wireless Communications Devices and Hearing Aids

This standard applies to both wireless communications devices (WDs) and hearing aids. It sets forth uniform methods of measurement and parametric requirements for the electromagnetic and operational compatibility and accessibility of hearing aids used with WDs, including cordless, cellular, personal communications service (PCS) phones, and voice over internet protocol (VoIP) devices, operating in the range of 800 MHz to 3 GHz. However, this version is focused on existing services, which are in common use. Accordingly, in this version tests are provided for services in the 800 MHz to 950 MHz and 1.6 GHz to 2.5 GHz frequency bands. Future versions may add test for other frequency bands, as they come into more common use.

This standard is intended to apply to all types of hearing aids with acoustic output, including, as examples, behind-the-ear (BTE), in-the-ear (ITE), in-the-canal (ITC), and completely-in-the-canal (CIC) types. Test methods are provided for hearing aids operating in acoustic (microphone input) mode or in T-Coil input mode.

The field levels called for in various places shall be maintained within the limits for radio frequency (RF) safety, set forth in ANSI C95.1-1999.1

Posted via email from Ann Reflection

Using (Cell) Phone: Visual Voice Mail

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the following info comes from Western Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing:

Visual Voice Mail (Voice to text messaging)

There is a new service being provided by Telus (and perhaps other carriers). It is called Visual Voice Mail.

Telus describes it as:

"Don’t worry about missing important messages when you are unable to answer your phone. With TELUS Visual Voice Mail, there’s no need to dial in to pick up your messages, you just read them on screen.

Read it instead of listening to it

Visual Voice Mail converts your voice mail messages to text and delivers them straight to you as SMS or email within minutes. The converted message will include the phone number of the caller embedded in the text.

Keep record of your voice mail.

You can view all of your messages in one convenient inbox and have a visual record of who called and what they said. "

Telus provides this service for a monthly fee of $7.50. However it is currently being offered for a free 30 day trial.

This is the link to the information.

or you can call: 1 800 316 0979 or Visit your nearest store

Comments from WIDHH staff using this service already:

"It works well except if a person does not speak clearly when they leave a msg, a word will either be skipped or spelled phonetically. Also, if the voice message is long, it will cut out some of the mssage and leave a request for you to call and listen to the rest of the message."

Posted via email from Ann Reflection

Communication Strategy for hearing impaired: Restaurants

Tuesday Tips: Restaurants

Restaurants must be the bain of all hearing aids. Hearing aids do well with isolated noises, but with noise from all directions, it becomes quite confusing. A few strategies when dining out, however, can help minimize problems.

• Pick your restaurants carefully. Restaurants with a lot of ambience tend to be bad. Ambience in restaurants usually come in the form of low-lighting, background music, and hard, funky surfaces. The best restaurant from an acoustic standpoint is one with upholstered furniture, no background music, good lighting, and low ceilings.
• Go early for dinner. You can miss the bulk of the noisy dinner crowd and you usually have your choice of any seat in the house. So pick the potentially quietest corner or table in the restaurant.
• Choose your table wisely. If you can choose a table, pick one that’s in the corner. Two walls mean a little less noise. However, make sure you’re not right by the kitchen; otherwise, you’ll hear all the cutlery and chopping emitting from there. If there are booths available, they are often better for communication. The enclosure of your table can reduce the amount of noise that you hear.
• If you do get to choose a seat at your table, pick according to where the noise is. If you have hearing aids, you should set the aids to the noise mode and sit with your back to the restaurant while facing the wall. The wall doesn’t make as much noise as your fellow diners, so it’s better to be facing it. If you don’t have hearing aids, then sit beside the wall so that at least you can hear some of the conversation from one ear.

Sometimes, you can do all the above and still have a difficult time in the restaurant. Be patient and have a good humour about misunderstood conversation. Sometimes the misunderstanding can lead to good joke for everyone to share.

Posted via email from Ann Reflection

Tuesday Tips for communicating with hearing impaired: Reducing Background Noise

Reducing Background Noise

It doesn’t take too much to make a conversation easier to hear. Just reduce the background noise. I’m not asking you to stop the world from turning and getting all the noise out of the world, but you can do some simple things to reduce background noise.

• Turn down or off any unnecessary music or sound. That could be your own TV or the radio. You may have to ask the owner of the device to turn it down. A conversation is lot easier without music covering over all the words
• Close the windows. If the windows are open and you get all the traffic noise, shut the sound out by closing the windows. It’s a tough call during a hot summer day, but less noise makes a huge difference
• Move away from the noise. If you can’t control the sound, at least move away from it. Just stepping a few feet away, or even out of a room, from the noise, it will be a relief to your ears and your conversation partner.

There’s no one end-all answer to reducing background noise. Use your best judgment and reduce any background noise that you can reduce.

Posted via email from Ann Reflection

Communication Strategy for hearing impaired: Visualizing the Scenario

Tuesday Tips: Planning Ahead – Visualizing the Scenario

Imagine you were visiting Montreal and you know some French, enough to get by. However, you haven’t used your French in eons. You want to go to a local boulangerie to buy some fresh baguettes. If you’re like me, you would practice in your head exactly what you want to say (I want one baguette, please – en francais, of course). Then you are going to practice what they might say back to you (That will be $4.95 – again, en francais). Of course, you may want to practice something that’s totally off topic (Where did you get that dress), but that wouldn’t fit the context (or maybe it will).
Visualization is a technique that is often used by athletes in preparation for difficult maneuvers. We can use the same when approaching difficult communication situations.

• Envision the scenario that is about to happen. Important visual and aural cues are missing with hearing loss, but the brain can fill in the gaps if you know what is happening.
• Anticipate what is going to be said. In a place like boulangerie, there are certain phrases that are commonly used. Practice those phrases. The practice would help your brain to be prepared for what is about to be said.
• Different situations means different possibilities. So what you might expect in the bakery would be different from what is said in a doctor’s office from what is said in a restaurant. Context is everything.

Visualize the scenario and anticipate the speech and your brain will be warmed up for each and every difficult situation. Just like many things, planning ahead can help you to avoid unwanted pitfalls.

Posted via email from Ann Reflection

Communication Strategy for hearing impaired - Lighting

Tuesday Tips: Lighting

The amount of light in the room is not the first thing you think about when you talk about hearing. However, you can hear better if you see better. Think of the last conversation you had with somebody standing in front of a brightly-lit window. It wasn’t fun, was it? There are often shadows that can fall on people’s faces. That makes it hard to see their facial expressions and lips, which are important to the context of any conversation. Then there’s that awful glare from staring towards the window too long. I can see imprints of light in my eyes just thinking about it.

• Increase the light if it’s too dark. As romantic as conversations in the dark are, it may not be the best for your communication. Turn on the lights and you’ll often have an easier time talking to each other.
• Move away from glaring sources of light. So as with the brightly-lit window scenario, it may be best not to stand right by that window. It can be tiring for all talkers involved and harsh shadows on the face just don’t look endearing.
• Put your back to the window. If it’s not too bright, then the window can provide just the right amount of light. However, you will likely want your back to the window so that the light falls on the face of those you’re speaking to.

Posted via email from Ann Reflection

Assistive Technology Co-operative: Community Needs Assessment

Assistive Technology Co-operative: Community Needs Assessment

A co-operative is a business organization that is owned and operated by a group of individuals who become members for their mutual benefit. In order to become a member, you must make a one time share purchase. To learn more about co-operatives, and how they may apply to assistive technology, click here.

In order to better understand what people with disabilities, their families and supporters think about the idea of an assistive technology co-operative we are launching a community survey using small group meetings in various communities as well as an on-line questionnaire.

Please help us to better understand if an assistive technology co-operative could help you to meet your needs or the needs of someone you know.

Take a few minutes to fill out our online-survey by clicking the link http://bcatcoop.wordpress.com/

Posted via email from Ann Reflection