Hi it's Vicky from the NDCS technology team here. I'm going to show you the
different types of amplified phones you can use at home and explain what
features you should look out for when choosing one.
You can get an amplified corded phone, a cordless
or a combined corded and cordless phone. These phones make it easier for people
with a hearing loss to make and receive phone calls with useful
features that you won't find on mainstream phones.
All of these phones are amplified. They can make people's voices sound very loud.
Hello this is Lucy from the technology test drive.
They also have variable volume and tone controls.
These can adjust the loudness and sound of speech so it's just right for their
hearing. Some phones have a volume boost control
with a simple push of a button it makes things sound even louder.
Hi this is Lucy from NDCS.
If your child has hearing aids with a T program set
then you could look for a phone which is hearing aid compatible.
This means it's got an induction coupler in the handset.
If your child sets the T setting on their hearing aid and uses the handset
the sound will be really clear and they won't be as distracted by other
background noises. If your child has a conductive hearing loss
you can buy an extra handset for the telephone which can be plugged into
certain phones. It's used as a normal handset but it
also vibrates and you hold the vibrating handset up to the
temple or behind the ear and it allows children with a
conductive hearing loss to hear the conversation.
Some people really like the speaker phone option on the phones.
This means they can hear the conversation together with their parents for
example and the parents can help them with sign
language or lip-speaking. This is particularly useful for children who
have cochlear implants. If you have a young child or a child who
won't be able to remember certain numbers a picture phone might be useful.
Your child can choose who they want to call by using the picture so it might
be a parent, a grandparent or the emergency services.
If these people phone the phone the pictures will light up so your child
knows who is calling. If your child finds the handset difficult to use
or they need to use a standard phone for example at work
or when they're away on holiday then you could consider a hearing aid
compatible headset. These simply connect to the phone
but you will need to choose a phone which has a headset socket.
Features to look out for to help your child know when someone is calling are
flashing lights, a loud ring and a range of different ring tones.
Flashing lights can be a single bright strobe light or a number of smaller
coloured lights they flash when you're receiving a call.
A loud ring will make it easier to hear the incoming call but having a range of
different ring tones can also be useful because your child might find some
tones or melodies easier to hear than a simple ring.
That's it for now I'll just quickly recap all the features we've discussed.
Look out for loud volume, variable volume and tone, volume boost, hearing aid
compatibility or an inductive coupler, bone conduction headset, speaker phone,
picture and memory buttons, caller display and a socket so you can connect
a headset. Flashing lights, loud ring, a range of
different ring tones.
