Technology and Hearing Loss

On Monday January 23rd. at the Woodland Hear! Here! meeting, Lindsay Visocchi of Hamilton Relay Service demonstrated the Captioned Telephone (Hamilton CapTel) which allows individuals who have difficulty hearing on the phone to speak directly to the other party as usual, then listen and read the other party's response as captions appear on a built-in display screen. A specially trained operator generates the captions so there is a very slight delay between the spoken conversation and what is displayed.  The service is free to those that qualify through the California Telephone Access Program [see May 11th, 2011 blog for more on CTAP]. The service is only available to California residents.


Hamilton CapTel Telephone

This technology:

• Eliminates the struggle of using the phone due to difficulty hearing
• Allows for natural conversations
• Provides a truly interactive calling experience
• Gives an increased sense of independence
• Makes the phone your friend again

"Clear, accurate, real time conversations link you to the world, to business, to family, to friends" said Lindsay. "You can talk naturally, there is no need to use short sentences...the only thing you need to be aware of is not to use slang or other words not found in a common dictionary" The phone has all the standard features one has come to expect on a hard of hearing phone such as adjustable amplifications, speed dial, phone book and caller ID capability.

Lindsay also showed us how the the Hamilton Web CapTel works.

This service which requires access to the Internet:

• Allows the user to see every word the caller says right on their computer screen.
• Requires no special equipment other than a computer
• Does not require you to download any special software
• Is available at no charge
• You can use it where ever you can get Internet service along with phone service by simply dialing a 1-800 number to receive incoming calls

Lindsay explained that a simple, one-time registration is the only requirement to use the service. This web-based captioning seemed very interesting to me for people who use the Internet a lot...I thought it might be easier to use than the captioning phone as the screen you would be looking at would be larger. I liked this service a lot.

Hamilton Web CapTel account holders can also receive captioning on select mobile phone. A benefit of the mobile captioning, Hamilton Mobile CapTel, is:

• It can be used anywhere, in the USA, that your phone works with a phone that has 3G capability or wifi that supports phone and data simultaneously
• Requires no special equipment but a hands free head set is recommended for best results
• Is totally mobile
• There is no charge for the service

Lindsay demonstrated the Mobile service by phoning Hear! Here! advisory board member Mel Russell [me] on her mobile. As we spoke to each other on our smart phones captions were displayed on the screen. This looked like it could be really useful when making important telephone calls where you need to get accurate information and, or while you are on the road. As Lindsay showed us "...you can immediately connect with anyone, anywhere, anytime!"

 We want to say thanks to Lindsay for an informative and fun demonstration and for sharing with us all this rather cool technology.

For more information on any of these services go to HamiltonCapTel.com or contact Lindsay at
(916) 492-2102