Have you ever wondered if there are mobile phones for the hearing impaired in the market today? This can be a concern for you if you know somebody, maybe a love one or a friend, who is hearing impaired. Or maybe you yourself have hearing problems and you want a mobile phone that can meet your special needs. Are there enough communication tools for them or you available in the market today?

It is essential to understand that the need to communicate is the same for all people, whatever the physical conditions are. Moreover, it is important that the special needs of those with physical disabilities like the visually impaired or the hearing impaired are not only recognized but addressed.

It’s a good thing that businesses today are sensitive and responsive to the needs of those people with special needs. Maybe not very many know this as a fact, but according to statistics, there are approximately 37 million people with hearing disability in the US alone and 70 million deaf, hard-of-hearing and speech-impaired people in the whole world today.

To meet the communication needs of the hearing-impaired, mobile phone companies have come up with specially designed phones for those with hearing problems. These mobile phones are designed with considerations like hearing aids (if the hearing impaired is using a hearing aid), earpiece design, vibration alerts, features that reduces interference, etc.

Aside from mobile phone companies, there are also concerned groups of professionals that are doing extensive research to help the hearing impaired. Researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle, for example, are developing a sign language software that can be installed as an application in many mobile phones. The sign language software allows the caller to communicate using their mobile phone thru real-time video instead of just sending a text message.

Mobile Phones for the Hearing Impaired

Text Phone

A Text Phone is a telecommunications gadget for the deaf (TDD). It is an electronic device using the text technology using a telephone line.

The Text Phone is almost the same size with a small laptop computer. It has a QWERTY keyboard and small screen which uses LED or an LCD screen displaying the typed text electronically.

Recently, a new progress called the captioned telephone has emerged and this utilizes voice recognition. Other new developments adopted by the hearing impaired include text based communication methods like chat, SMS, and Instant Messaging.

Nokia 9000il Communicator Smartphone

This is the one of the first mobile phones to have real-time-text exchange as a function. This mobile phone provides the deaf and the hearing impaired a soundless method of communication in a noiseless environment just like the library, or even during meetings.

More than the basic functions, the Nokia 9000il Communicator Smartphone enables the user to send and receive emails, faxes, and short messages. It can also access the World Wide Web via the Internet, and corporate and public databases.

The Nokia 9000il Communicator Smartphone can also be connected to a personal computer either via infrared or cable to store data or to transfer files.

BlackBerry

Blackberry also offers mobile phones that can be used by those who are hearing impaired. Recent models of BlackBerries are considered best amongst the many wireless email and SMS devices. With a Blackberry mobile phone, emails are immediately received and automatically displayed on the screen. The latest BlackBerry models also have excellent vibrating alert; the vibrate alert applies on everything: SMS, emails, alarms, and reminders for calendar appointments.

Siena Lombardi is a technology specialist writer for Phoenix kiosk, a Kiosk solutions firm in Tempe, AZ. Phoenix Kiosk offers “kiosks for sale” in almost every industry including solar Kiosks.