How tech is improving lives in the deaf and hard of hearing community
Here’s how new devices enhance accessibility and also improve the employment rate for the deaf and hard of hearing community.
Fire Safety and Disabilities Guide
According to FEMA, each year approximately 17,500 people are injured and 3,400 die because of fire.1 There are dangers associated with fire for everyone, but people with disabilities face unique challenges in these emergencies. As FEMA notes, people with disabilities may have more difficulty escaping during a fire. In addition, some disabilities may prevent them […]
The Baobab: A Storybook App for Children who are Deaf
The Science of Learning Center on Visual Language and Visual Learning (VL2) at Gallaudet University has released the first of a series of three bilingual storybook apps that will simultaneously help children learn American Sign Language (ASL) and English. The app includes an original story told in both ASL and English, colorful illustrations, easy & […]
Designing a City for the Deaf
Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., the nation’s leading institution for the deaf and hard of hearing, has published a report outlining what they call DeafSpace Guidelines that help design practitioners understand what to consider when designing spaces to be friendly to people with hearing impairments. Hansel Bauman, director of campus design and planning at Gallaudet, […]
Mobile Captioning App Waiting for FCC Approval
Concerned about fraud, the FCC is delaying funding any new companies hoping to launch telecommunication relay services until fraud prevention policies can be put in place. A recent article in the Washington Post reported that the InnoCaption app developed by Miracom is still awaiting approval by the FCC after two years.
California Companies Unveil Video Phone for People Who Are Hard of Hearing
Rocklin’s Purple Communications, Inc. and Tely Labs of Menlo Park have created a smart videophone, SmartVP, which features HD and smart apps for people who are hard of hearing. Users are able to access applications on the phone during calls, and also find similar convenience with apps like Captionfish, Yellow Pages, Weather, and more. The […]
Deaftel Wireless – Phone Service for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
A new iPhone app for the hearing impaired recently hit the market late last year. Deaftel Wireless uses state of the art technology to convert a hearing person’s voice into a text message and a deaf person’s text response into a voice during a phone call. iphone users need only to visit the Deaftel website […]
New Michigan School for the Deaf in Flint is cutting-edge
The new Michigan School for the Deaf in Flint, MI is a 80,000-square-foot, 26-classroom building that includes state of the art design and technology. All classrooms, and even some hallways, can accomodate flat-panel TVs and smartboards. Additionally the gym and cafeteria/auditorium feature large projector screens that can display game scores and schoolwide annoucements. All of […]
SoundAmp Helps Persons Hard of Hearing
For just $0.99, a person who is both hard of hearing and an smartphone owner can be granted sound again. SoundAmp is a relatively new iPhone application that works by picking up sounds via the microphone, amplifying and processing them in real-time, and sending them to the attached earbuds/headphone. Also, with it’s “Boost” feature, high […]