Agenda Ê Introduction Ê Why Assistive Technology? Connect and Discover Ê Areas to cover: Ê Alert Signaling Devices Ê Hearing Assistive Technology Ê Telecommunication Equipment Ê Accessibility Options Ê Captioned entertainment Ê Apps Ê Resources Ê Educational audiologist in the mainstream and residential school setting Ê Former employee at a CI company Ê Loves all things techy including hardware, software and social media to spread the word Ê Curator of the list Apps for Kids (and Adults) with Hearing Loss Ê Mentor / Advocate Why Assistive Technology? Ê The individual is a completely visual communicator Ê The individual s HA/CI battery is dead Ê The individual s HA or CI is being repaired Ê The individual gets limited benefit from their amplification and wants to access information in a different way Ê The person talking is far away and the listener cannot hear Ê It s noisy Ê Hearing aids ADVANCES IN AMPLIFICATION Behind-the-ear (BTE) BTE Open fit BTE Receiver in the canal (RIC)
Cochlear implants = microphone location Please don t forget the T- coil! Ê Special setting on HA or CI may need to programmed by audiologist Ê Allows for access to many types of Hearing Assistive Technology Ê Looped public spaces Ê Neckloops Ê Telecommunication Orientation Advanced Bionics Vertical Ê Looped rooms Ê Neckloops Horizontal Ê Telephone Ê Induction earhooks/ HATIS Naida Q70 (vertical) Harmony (slanted) http://www.hearinglosshelp.com/articles/tcoilorient.htm Neptune with T-Comm (vertical) External T-coil (adjustable) Cochlear Corporation Med- El Freedom (vertical) Nucleus 5 (horizontal) Nucleus 6 (horizontal) Opus 2 (vertical) Rondo (vertical) Room Loop Booster
Alerting Options Ê Very loud alarm ALERT SIGNALING DEVICES Ê Flashing/strobe light Ê Vibration Ê Most effective Alarm clocks Visual alerting systems Ê Stationary Ê Fire/smoke Ê Carbon monoxide Ê Weather radio Ê Portable Ê Baby monitor Ê Door knocker Being alert at home Access your local resources Ê Contact your local fire department Ê They can send someone to your home to do an inspection with recommendations Ê They have a list of recommended electricians/services Ê Private electrician Ê Alarm company (e.g., ADT) Ê Do you have a plan???
Lodging Lodging Ê When you make your reservation Ê When you arrive Ê Hearing accessible rooms Ê Visual alerts in main room and bathroom Ê Doorbell on outside of door Ê Tell the front desk, in case of emergency Ê Give them permission to enter your room? Ê Hotel Kit Ê Make sure it works Ê Ask for a second key Ê Don t use the additional safety lock What to do in case of emergency What to do in case of emergency Ê Patient Emergency Identification Card Ê Contact your manufacturer or look in the materials your received at initial stimulation Ê Keep next to (or in front of) your Driver s License or State ID Ê Create your own Emergency Medical Identification card at http://medids.com/free- id.php Ê ID jewelry or portable medical record storage Ê Google medical alert jewelry Information to include Ê Deaf, deaf or hard of hearing Ê Use cochlear implant(s) or hearing aid(s) Ê Specific to CI recipients: Ê NO MRI Ê NO MONOPOLAR CAUTERY Ê Name and phone number to CI surgeon/clinic HEARING ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
Sending and receiving information Did you know Transmitters Receivers Formerly known as Assistive Listening Device (ALD) Now known as Hearing Assistive Technology (HAT) Ê Frequency Modulation (FM) Ê Digital Modulation (DM) Ê Infrared (IR) Ê Ê Direct audio input T- coil Ê Alone Ê Neckloop Ê Induction earhook Soundfield systems FM systems Classroom Audio Distribution Systems (CADS) Remote Microphone Hearing Assistance Technology Ê Bluetooth Ê Single speaker Ê toteable/tower/ ceiling mounted Ê Multiple speakers Ê ceiling mounted / interactive whiteboards Ê Streamer Transmitters Receivers Microphone styles Hearing Aid Cochlear Implant CADS Why use an FM system? Toteable Classroom Hearing Aid Only Hearing Aid + FM http://www.utdallas.edu/~thib/earringfinal/earringweb_files/frame.htm
Infrared Devices Induction Loop Systems Receivers Taxi Set up for room loop IR system Light Transmitter Chair loop Personal loop Accessories for HA and CI Bluetooth (transmitter) Streamers TELECOMMUNICATIONS Telecommunications This is now! Ê Today s telecommunication devices have put Deaf, deaf and hard of hearing individuals on an EQUAL LEVEL with hearing people: Ê E- mail Ê Texting Ê Visual voice- mail Ê Instant Messaging Ê PIN (for BlackBerry users only) Ê Video calls
Cell phones What are M and T ratings? Ê The FCC require all cell phone makers and service providers to make phones hearing aid compatible (HAC) for people using hearing aids and cochlear implants. Ê Devices that are HAC compliant have: Ê Less static Ê Less interference Ê Better telecoil connections Ê HAC compliant device packages are marked with M or T ratings M rating Ê M rating refers to the microphone mode. Ê Wireless devices rated M3 or M4 are likely to generate less interference. Ê M4 is the better/higher of the two ratings. T rating Ê T rating refers to the telecoil mode. Ê Wireless devices rated T3 or T4 are likely to be more usable with a hearing device's telecoil ("T Switch" or "Telephone Switch") Ê T4 is the better/higher of the two ratings. Look for M4/T4 to have the best chance of being interference free whether used with your hearing aids or cochlear implants in microphone or t-coil mode. Finding the HAC rating Amplified telephones Ê www.accesswireless.org Ê www.phonescoop.com/phones/finder.php Ê Check the packaging/description card in the store Ê Search online if you know the make and model of the phone Ê Used in place of standard phones Ê Models have a variety of features including tone adjustment, volume boost, loud ringer, visual signalers, memory buttons, capacity for multiple lines, and power adapters. Transcribed voicemail Captioning for phones Ê Several services out there that will: Ê Listen to your voicemail using voice- recognition software or live captioners Ê Transcribe your voicemail Ê E- mail it to your computer or PDA Ê Read the display on the desktop phone itself, a computer screen, a tablet or mobile phone (will need to use speakerphone) as well as listen to the other person s voice Ê Used by people who voice for themselves Ê Check with your carrier to see which services are available Ê Prices range from around $0.35/message to unlimited messages for $40/month Ê www.google.com/googlevoice (FREE!) Ê Request an invitation
Text Relay Service Accessories for phone/media players Ê A service that enables people who use a TTY, Internet connected computer, or text messaging to communicate with any conventional telephone through a relay operator. Ê Neckloop Ê Bluetooth Ê Wired Ê Induction earhooks Ê Bluetooth Ê Wired Ê Monaural/binaural Accessories for phone/media players Wearable accessories Ê Personal audio cable Pebble watch http://getpebble.com Apple watch (early 2015) https://www.apple.com/watch/ Ê Headphones (cupped) Ê Y- adapter Video Relay Service (VRS) Ways to access VRS Ê A relay service that uses the Internet and video equipment to allow deaf persons to make phone calls using American Sign Language (ASL) or English- based sign (with or without speechreading cues) Ê Desktop Ê Portable Ê Download program to personal computer Ê Mobile
Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) Voice Carry Over Ê Uses video conferencing equipment to provide sign language interpreting services Ê Both the deaf and hearing person are in the same room Ê VCO is a feature from the relay service that allows a person with hearing loss to use their own voice on the telephone, while receiving the other partyʼ s communication Ê Works with text relay as well as video relay Ê The interpreter is at a call center in another city Ê Especially useful for rural areas where there may be a lack of qualified interpreters Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) ACCESSIBILITY OPTIONS Ê Instant translation of the spoken word into English text using a stenotype machine, notebook computer and realtime software Ê Text appears on a computer monitor or other display Ê Primarily used by people who are late- deafened, oral deaf, hard of hearing or have cochlear implants Ê Culturally deaf individuals may use in certain situations Ê Sometimes referred to as realtime captioning Ê Can be done live or via remote location C- print / TypeWell Ê C- Print, TypeWell and similar speech- to- text accommodations seek to provide a meaning- for- meaning transcript of spoken communication it does not attempt to provide a verbatim transcription Ê Systems were designed to meet the needs of deaf and hard of hearing students in educational settings Ê Advantage: Ê the text produced is more accessible for those with less developed reading skills, and the transcript is not as cumbersome when used for study purposes CAPTIONING FOR ENTERTAINMENT Ê Disadvantage: Ê if used to augment hearing, the difference in exact words used may be confusing
Open Captioning CaptiView Ê Words are available for everyone to see Ê Includes dialogue as well as environmental sounds Ê Often has limited showing times and limited selection Ê Need to get special device at the movie theater ticket counter Ê Words are displayed on a personal LED display Ê Preferred by most deaf/hard of hearing people Sony s Entertainment Access Glasses www.captionfish.com Ê Need to get special device at the movie theater ticket counter Ê Words are displayed towards the bottom of the glasses Ê Search engine for finding captioned movies in your area Ê When in doubt, contact the movie theater anyway! Ê Clickable links to theater information, movie description and CAPTIONED movie trailers Ê Join email list or follow on social media sites for updates Sample Captionfish screen Personal Captioning in Theaters Ê Use a special device or tablet/smartphone to access captions
What should I look for? Ê Multiple voice choices Ê If you can record your voice, even better! Ê Natural > synthesized APPS Ê Turn on/off text Ê Auditory training/reading Ê Good volume control Ê External speaker Ê Media players with built- in CC Ê Be sure to update your Apps! Ê Record keeping App- lications Ê Accessibility Ê Advocacy Ê Audiology Ê Counseling tools Ê Hearing Test Ê Listening Therapy Ê Discrimination Ê Multi- step directions Ê Listening in noise Ê Learning a variety of environmental sounds Ê Auditory memory Ê Music Ê Media Player Ê Captioned Ê Personal Amplifier Ê Sign Language Ê Sound Level Meter Ê Speech Ê Telecommunication Ê Text- based Ê ASL Ê Resources (e.g., favorite developers, blogs and websites) RESOURCES Assistive Technology Project www.jalc.edu/gurc/assistive_technology_project Listening and Spoken Language Knowledge Center Ê http://listeningandspokenlanguage.org/tertiary.aspx?id=1213 TINA CHILDRESS ILLINOIS SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF SHERI COOK GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY REGIONAL CENTER - MIDWEST CHERI SINNOTT ILLINOIS SERVICE RESOURCE CENTER
National Association of the Deaf (NAD) Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) Ê http://nad.org/ issues/technology Ê Information about applicable laws, news and recent developments Ê http://www.hearingloss.org/ content/technology Ê Great resource that includes tutorials, explanations and videos Ê Resources to other websites My social bookmarking site www.delicious.com/hlpuears Ê Scores of links related to hearing loss including AT and vendors Ê Searchable via tags