List of Favourite CANADA-compatible deaf technologies

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Mark Rejhon

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For a long time, Canada has played second fiddle to USA for deaf technologies, although the difference is slowly shrinking. I'm continually researching good Canadian deaf technologies and communications in Canada:
  • Smartphones - Chat Apps
    Pick any favourite smartphone: Many popular models with BlackBerry, iPhone, Android, and others. You gain the to chat to people from anywhere through cellphones. All major smartphones have apps the allow you to chat on MSN Live Messenger, AIM, Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, Facebook Chat. And you can do email and text messaging, too. All modern cellphones also have vibrate capability, which is useful for notifications for the deaf.

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  • Voicemail To Text
    Hate having people help you get your voicemail? Why not read your voicemail instead, as text messages on your existing cell phone? Get your voicemail messages automatically transcribed to text messages that you can read! Most major Canadian carriers have this available: Click to get the Bell | Rogers | Telus version of Voicemail to Text.

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  • IP Relay
    In 2011, many major Canadian carriers including Rogers, Bell and Telus launched online relay services which allow you to use Relay over the Internet, instead of from a TDD or TTY. For more info, click here for the list of services in Relay Forum -- Including Rogers, Bell, and Telus

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  • TTY Relay
    The old fashioned way of calling people, by dialing 711 from a TTY / TDD. This is an old dinosaur standby. Some of us can't live without it, until IP Relay recently became available in Canada.

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  • Video Chat -- Laptops, iPad, Android, PlayBook
    New tablet computers do an impressive job of high-quality video over WiFi. They are useful for sign language conversations, too. The new tablet computers do video fast and sharp enough for sign language to work, at least when done over WiFi. If doing PC or laptop based video, get a good web camera with a high framerate. (Example: Microsoft LifeCam Studio 1080p web cam)

What about you -- What are your favourite deaf technologies that work in Canada?
 
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