Today, we are enjoying many things in our life which can be called a “gift from technology”. There are many people in the world, who cannot hear the sweet and charming sounds of nature. They cannot hear the voice of their beloved ones. Many years ago, it was impossible for these people to regain their strength to hear this world. But now, technology has made it possible for them. Now, just by taking an aid, these people can overcome their disability of hearing. There is a range of technical devices which can help deaf people hear. These devices are broadly categorized into four categories:
- Alerting Devices
- Telecommunication Devices
- Captioning
Alerting Devices
Alerting devices are smart devices that help deaf people in a variety of situations. These types of machines make use of vibrations, flashing lights, and loud tones to alert deaf people to diverse sounds. Some devices like doorbell give a response to a particular signal. And the other devices respond to various environmental sounds like the sound of the alarm clock, the cry of a baby, and the fire or smoke alarms.
For most of these systems, the receiver is located all over an office or home. When a signal is received by these receivers, a light or flash, or vibration is activated. This activated sound or flash or vibration alerts deaf people about a particular situation. These systems can also be installed on existing doorbells and alarms which avoid additional and unnecessary wiring.
Doorbell Signaler
This signaler can be installed on the existing doorbell system. It also works without any doorbell system. It alerts deaf people that someone is at the door.
Baby Cry Signaler
The baby cry signaler alerts deaf people about the baby’s sound. This signal is very sensitive and can pick up very soft sounds such as the sound of a baby.
Telephone Signaler: There are two types of telephone signalers. One can be directly plugged into the electrical outlet and telephone line. Another type of telephone signaler is attached to the side of the telephone. The later type of telephone signalers raises the sound of the bell.
Wake –Up Alarm Signaler: There are a variety of Wake – Up alarm Signalers. Some of them come with alarm clocks having inbuilt strobe lights and another signaler comes in alarm clocks with an inbuilt outlet where a vibrating alert or a lamp can be plugged into.
Telecommunication Devices
The telecommunication devices involve:
- Amplified Ringers: Used for people who feel disabled to hear the telephone ring.
- Amplified Telephone: Amplified telephones have inbuilt amplifiers, loud ringers, and tone selectors. The inbuilt amplifiers are of range between 26 to 56 decibels.
- Portable Phone Amplifier: This device is operated with the help of a battery. The main feature of this device is its adjustable volume control.
Captioning
This feature of captioning involves:
- Closed Captioning: Closed captioning comprises captions in TV programs, videotapes, and DVDs.
- Open Captioning: In this, the captions are an integral part of the program. There is no need to install any decoder.
- Real-Time Captioning: Simultaneous preparation and transmission of captions are known as real-time captioning.
Bottom Line
All the above-mentioned techniques would help a deaf man to understand this beautiful world in a more efficient way. This truly reflects the importance of technology for the deaf.