You Don't Have to Hear to Use Computers to Communicate

Personal computers can easily be customized to accommodate the deaf. You can find the necessary equipment to make these upgrades in practically any computer store or even in the computer department of your local big box store. This is almost like the telephone getting a major upgrade for the deaf. It's easy for them to call someone using their computer, and they can also use the keyboard to chat with others. The main output device in this case is the screen, or text that is printed, while a keyboard is used as the main input.

Both of these devices are visual and will not require the ability to hear. Until now, the primary source of communication for the deaf was the TDD- or Telecommunication Device for the Deaf, which consisted of a basic keyboard and a single line display. The down side is, TDDs are not compatible with most of today's computers, however translation programs are readily available. Most computer users don't purchase this software unless they are close to a person who is hearing impaired.

I once held a conversation with a man who was deaf, and he offered his story to me. He replied he had learned to read print at 3 year of age when he first lost his hearing, so he never lost his ability to make use of language, but this was the first time in his life he as able to have communication with people and didn't have read their lips or write them letters. He can now interview people over the phone, something he was unable to do before. His familiarity with TDD has been growing each day; he now talks to his wife daily regarding the news headliners, reserving hotels and booking train rides.

However, it is not a major factor in my own life, as TDDs are limited mainly to those in the deaf community. This isn't saying that they are not useful machines, because they are a wonderful advancement in technology and allow the deaf to communicate with others. Should people who own computers still use TDDs?

At this time, computers and TDDs have a difficult time communicating. It requires the use of special hardware and programs. It's going to be a while before TDDs are no longer used because people have a hard time becoming accustomed to change. Spending more on a micro leaves the hesitant. You can find TDDs at a reasonable price of $200 or less.

What should a hearing impaired person hope to find in a computer, and do they need to be aware of any required specifications? There's really nothing special they may need in a computer besides internet access. The man was able to outline a few tips for the deaf and friends of the deaf who are planning to purchase the equipment. He suggests that they forgo the purchase of a printer or other peripherals in favor of first purchasing the modem. He also advises the use of a lap top computer if it is a good price which can even be used as a primary computer.

CB radios may be used in an emergency if the user is willing to make a voice call on behalf of the deaf person. That is in theory, really, they would need to do some convincing of the CBers that they were not joking. A better approach would be to find an experimental network of bulletins that is being set up in different cities. In this way, the hearing impaired are given access to an emergency phone center as well as information about other services.

There is also a device that will attach a laptop to a voice synthesizer, but I am not very familiar with this technology. This device may also be attached to a telephone in order to communicate. So how does a deaf person receive a reply or know if someone even answered? Since the computer requires abilities that pretty much all hearing impaired persons have (including typing skills, sight, etc.), the job market for deaf individuals to work with computers is a large-scale, continually growing operation. Some of the best jobs to look into for the hearing impaired are programming, word processing, and data processing, where there is no phone interaction required to work.

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