Most Useful Devices for Deaf People

aurakle

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I was just wondering, what are your opinions on some of the most useful devices or technologies for people who are Deaf/HOH? I've heard about voice to text devices, smoke alarms that shake the bed, door bells that light up, certain telephones, etc. What experiences have you have with these sorts of devices?
 
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My alarm clock that vibrates my bed. Can't live without it. Enough said. And it's the only deaf related product I own. I see no need to have any other kind of products.
 
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Vibrating alarm clock (vibrates the pillow, not the whole bed).

When my hearing loss was only moderate, I really liked having a telephone amplifier with me at all times (a small square device that fit over the ear-piece of a land-line phone. Younger readers will be excused if they have no idea that public phones were once commonly found in movie theaters, subway stations, hotel lobbies, and the like. :lol: )

As my hearing got worse, I got an amplified phone at home; now, even that doesn't really work well for me. But it's good for less severe levels of hearing loss.

In my newest home, we have flashing lights for the smoke alarm. It would be a good idea to have the same for a carbon monoxide detector too, but we don't have that.

FM connection on my hearing aids, and a small mic to be used at large events, such as a large luncheon, so I could hear the conversation at the lunch table more clearly.

What I've tried and didn't like: a wired loop around the living room to connect to the T-coil on my hearing aids, to hear the TV better. Technically it worked all right, but the sound quality on the T-coil was not as good as the regular setting, and it cut out all other noise (like my husband making a comment, or the dogs barking at the doorbell, that sort of thing), so on the whole I didn't use it much.
 
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My alarm clock that vibrates my bed. Can't live without it. Enough said. And it's the only deaf related product I own. I see no need to have any other kind of products.

If i had to get any deaf product..... It would be the alarm clock.

But the most useful device for me would be my laptop.
 
I was just wondering, what are your opinions on some of the most useful devices or technologies for people who are Deaf/HOH? I've heard about voice to text devices, smoke alarms that shake the bed, door bells that light up, certain telephones, etc. What experiences have you have with these sorts of devices?

my deaf motorcycle. it takes me to I need to go - anywhere, anytime. It is deaf-friendly because whenever deaf people see my bike, they know I'm here.

:)
 
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Laptop. Hubby works as alarm clock.
 
I like the alarm clock that shakes my bed also. There are different models available. You can get ones that interface with your telephone so you won't sleep through a phone call either.

You can also get very elaborate ones that will interface with a other devices so you can't sleep through a baby crying, doorbell, or something just set to go off when there's a loud sound so you can use it for whatever you need.

And when you're up, it will make a lamp or lamps flash if you have it set up that way.

I do like telephone flashers. I have tinnitus and often don't like to wear my hearing aids at home, so often the only way I would know if I'm getting a phone call is if I see a lamp going off.

One of my favorite assistive listening device was simply a few well placed mirrors. I use to work in a "cube farm" and this was a great way to know if someone was coming up to talk to me ... or just snoop! Yes, I found out after I placed the mirrors that some nosy hearing people knew I couldn't hear them so they would peer over my shoulder to see what I was working on! They were very embarrassed the first time they figured out that I could see them in my mirrors! I didn't get it for that reason though because I didn't realize that was happening. I got it so I would stop being spooked by people "sudddenly" coming up to me and tapping my shoulder.

Mirrors intended to be attached to car side view mirrors work esp. well and I usually had one placed on top of my computer monitor.
 
cell phone and flashing light systems - the latter was particularly helpful as a single mom of a newborn. those 100 watt bulbs made my eyes ache but hey, they worked and gave me independence.
 
Dog who alerts me to everything. And my iPod touch for everything else.
 
iPhone
Vibrate alarm clock
Flashing doorbell

I think these most useful for me!!
 
Dog who alerts me to everything. And my iPod touch for everything else.

A dog is the most useful item to have about the home for anyone, deaf or hearing. Occasionally even more useful than the husband, but does not make beds, so that's a toss-up. :lol:

More seriously, I agree with you completely that a dog who will alert you to a phone or doorbell is very useful, although of course not everyone has a life that can easily include a dog.

OT: Botts, I'm reading a great book right now you might enjoy: "The Dog Who Couldn't Stop Loving" by Jeffrey Moussaieff. It's about the co-evolution of mankind and dogs. The author was spurred to think about this theory of co-evolution by his dog, Benjy, who was born and originally raised to be a guide dog, but didn't make it because he wouldn't follow commands. What he WOULD do was love anyone and everyone, unconditionally. As most normal dogs do...

Anyway, you might enjoy reading it.

Apologies for digression, returning to scheduled topic...
 
What kind of help do you guys get from iphones and laptops?

From laptops, I do e-mail and instant messaging which almost completely substitutes for phone calls. Those who have i-phones probably use them in similar ways, through texting.
 
Email is probably the biggest Deaf friendly tool I have. I do admit to using the VP from time to time though.
 
Finlay was my best Devices for everything! I once set my alarm and pretended to be asleep to how far Finlay would go to wake me up. He touched with his paw one time and I did not move, so he touch me again and I still did not get up! Finlay finally got on the bed and pushed with his paw hard! I was LOL! He took his job very serious!
 
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I also watch movies on laptop. I can see the captions better.
 
mmm. my computer would be my most deaf friendly product even though it wasn't intended for the deaf. Alarm clocks for the deaf are useful too. I'm thinking I will get a door bell system for the deaf as people have come to my apt and I didn't hear them knocking on the door.
 
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