For deaf people, participating in a group conversation, where there’s constant chatter going on among multiple people, can sometimes be painful. Reading lips, trying to hear with a lot of background noise, and keeping track of who is saying what can get tricky, and in many cases, deaf people may either give up on the conversation or just pretend that they are listening.
Ava, an app for deaf and hard of hearing people, makes it easier for them to follow group conversations and keep track of who is saying what without worrying about reading lips or excessive background noise.
The app was released in 2016, and is available for iOS and Android and can be downloaded at ava.me.
Although we seldom stop and think about them, our five senses, sight, smell touch, taste and hearing, are amazing. Only when we damage or lose one of our senses, do we realize just how amazing these senses that help us navigate the world are. That said, the technological and medical advances that help us compensate for the loss or impairment of one of our five senses, are also often amazing.
I have an aunt who has a cochlear implant. Deafness runs in her family; her mother was described as becoming “stone-deaf.” For many years, the only way my aunt could engage in conversation with anyone was for both parties to shout – almost at the top of their lungs. When at last she consented to be evaluated for an implant, and later received one, it was as if the world around her was reborn. The cochlear implant reconnected her with her husband, my uncle, and the world around her.
Still I’d never thought much about how the world might actually sound to her now –not until I watched this video.My aunt and Helen Willis, a St. John’s College, Oxford (UK) student, inhabit wholly different worlds but the cochlear implant gives them back the ability to hear — albeit not as perfectly as someone with undamaged hearing.
Helen was one of the first in the UK to receive a cochlear implant, allowing her to hear the world around her albeit through impoverished sounds. Now she is flourishing at Oxford University, and despite difficulties in everyday tasks, she hopes to continue into research into the science of hearing.
Helen’s story began in the early days of the cochlear implant technology. My aunt received hers within the last five-six years. Surgical techniques have now changed such that stitches and hair shaving are no longer required, and technology has improved to such an extent that people who received cochlear implants more recently are now able to perceive sound much more accurately so I expect my aunt’s experience is much better than Helen’s.
This is a good explanation of what life is like for individuals with cochlear implants. However, it is important to keep in mind that the simulations of the cochlear implant provided in the documentary are only an approximation, as it is very difficult to know what people actually hear. And, as shown in the video, users still find it useful, even necessary to use ASL and other supports. If one doesn’t understand the limitations of cochlear implants it can be very puzzling to see an implant user successfully using a smart phone but still needing interpreters or other supports in the classroom.
PepNet2 has a tip sheet “Serving Deaf Students Who Have a Cochlear Implant” which provides a nice overview of what cochlear implants are, and how they work. The tip sheet also provides helpful tips for the postsecondary classroom. Several of the tips are also applicable when working with the student at a service counter.
(PepNet2 is an organization whose mission is to increase the education, career and lifetime choices available to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. It is funded by the Research to Practice Division, Office of Special Education Programs, US Department of Education.)
Telecommunication giant Verizon has announced that by early 2013, a nation-wide system will be in place that will allow cell phone users to text message 911.This service will be helpful for the deaf or hard of hearing who find voice calls difficult if not impossible. The service will use existing CDMA and SMS networks, and therefore must be available to all customers once finally rolled out.
Verizon says the following about text to 911’s benefit for the deaf or hard of hearing,
” While consumers should always first try to contact a 911 center by making a voice call, this enhanced SMS service, when deployed, will offer an alternative for customers on the Verizon Wireless network who are deaf or hard of hearing and cannot make voice calls or who could be placed in additional danger by speaking.”
If you are able to make voice calls to 911 it remains the preferred method. Text to 911 service has not yet been deployed so texts to 911 will not be answered.
The following is from May 3, 2012 press release.
BASKING RIDGE, N.J., May 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Demonstrating its continued commitment to advancing public safety, Verizon Wireless is taking steps toward offering a lot of its customers a brand new approach to communicate with 911 call centers run by public safety officials. The corporate announced today that it has selected TeleCommunication Systems Inc., of Annapolis, Md., to take part in an initiative with the intention to enable customers to send 911 SMS (Short Message Service) texts to the decision centers, that are is named public-service answering points, or PSAPs.
While consumers must always first attempt to contact a 911 center by creating a voice call, this enhanced SMS service, when deployed, will offer an alternate for purchasers at the Verizon Wireless network who’re deaf or hard of hearing and can’t make voice calls or who might be placed in more danger by speaking.
“Verizon is on the forefront of 911 public-safety innovations, and today’s announcement is another step in making SMS-to-911 service available to people who cannot make a voice call to 911,” said Marjorie Hsu, Verizon Wireless vice chairman of technology. “Our company is constant its long-standing commitment to deal with the purposes of public safety and our customers by offering differently to get assist in an emergency by utilizing wireless technology.”
The corporate is operating on plans to make the recent capabilities available to pick out PSAPs by early 2013. Verizon plans to exploit its existing CDMA SMS network for 911 text notifications. The hot service could be offered to Verizon Wireless customers who’ve a text-capable phone and a service plan that features text messaging.
“TeleCommunication Systems has worked closely with the FCC during the last two years to develop its innovative technology for SMS to 911,” said Maurice B. Tose, president and CEO of TCS. “Because the preeminent U.S. supplier of SMS and pioneer in wireless E911, TCS is easily positioned to enable Verizon in advancing its public safety commitment.”
Verizon is operating with others within the communications industry, PSAPs, the Federal Communications Commission and other federal and state agencies within the eventual deployment of this new service geared toward giving consumers new tips on how to communicate with designated public safety agencies.
WINAHEAD 