Assistive technology for the deaf has been around for at least 130 years. Some of the most widely used technology, such as the telephone, was originally designed as a device for the hearing impaired. To be deaf does not necessarily mean a person cannot hear. A person who has significant hearing loss is also considered deaf. Today's assistive technology allows the deaf to function in just about every area of life without much difficulty.
A Telephone Trying To Amplify Sound For A Deaf Individual
Function
Assistive technology helps people perform functions that their disabilities prevent them from doing, according to The National Center on Accessible Information Technology in Education. People have used assistive technology for centuries; canes and wheelchairs are such devices.
History
Alexander Graham Bell was a pioneer in assistive technology for the deaf, according to Washington State Deaf Studies professor Richard Ladner. Bell originally developed the telephone in the 1880s for his hearing-impaired relatives. Ironically, it took several decades for the deaf to take advantage of telephone technology. In the 1960s, Robert H. Weitbrecht invented one of the first successful technologies for the deaf: Teletyping Relay through telephone modems.
Communication
Advances in Internet communication allow the hearing impaired to easily communicate using Internet Protocol Relay software. IP Relay is smoother than teletype devices because teletype hardware is essentially an electronic typewriter that sends information through a telephone wire and displays it on a small screen. IP Relay software, however, makes use of a webcam that illustrates sign language to an interpreter who then translates.
Implants
Hearing aids are a popular choice among the deaf who need a device that can assist in normal functions, like hearing sounds on the road. A hearing implant can amplify sound or improve sound awareness. An auditory stimulation device is known as a Cochlear implant. Cochlear implants do not try to amplify sound for a damaged ear, but signal different parts of auditory nerves for certain types of sounds, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
Alerting
Alerting technology uses flashing lights or vibrations to gain the attention of the hearing impaired. Alarm clocks and cellphones are usually equipped with a vibrate function that alerts the person to notification of a specific time, or an incoming call in the case of cellphones. Light switches installed outside of a door will alert a deaf person of a guest's presence, instead of relying on the vibrations of a knock that may go unnoticed.
Tags: hearing impaired, according National, amplify sound, assistive technology, Assistive technology, Relay software, technology deaf