TechnologyFor Deaf People

Alexander Bell

• 1876- Telephone invented by Alexander Bell

• Created to assist Deaf People

• Result- Deaf People are more isolated

Robert Weitbrecht

• 1964-

Robert Weitbrecht invents TTY

• Deaf physicist in California.

• TTY cost $300 & weighed 150 lbs.

TTY- Problems• You need a signal

system to alert for calls (lights).

• Must be able to type and read

• Prices range from $275-$479

• Each person needs a TTY

• TTY’s plug in and need electricity

TTY Etiquette• Identify yourself-Type “HI,

JESSICA HERE”• “GA” = go ahead• “QGA”= Question• “HLD” = hold on a sec• “PLS”= please• “XXX” = oops I’m wrong,

then re-type• Good bye options……• “GA to SK” = go ahead/stop

keying• “GA or SK” • “GASK”• Completely finished=

“BYESKSK” - disconnect

French TTY

Maryland Relay• Started 1993-94• MD one of the 1st states • #711 • Operator-Introduces self

and helps new user• Operators follow strict code

of confedentiality• Cost shared by all• If the person who has the

account is deaf they would get lower long distance fees

MD Relay cont’d

• Pros

• Deaf people get equal access with a MR operator

• Can call anyone at anytime

• Cons

• Third person involved

• Takes longer

• Not enough operators

• Expensive

Some MD RELAY SERVICES

• HEARING-CARRY-OVER (HCO) : enables speech disabled users to directly hear the voice person's message. The Operator then voices the speech-disabled TTY user's typed response back to the voice caller.

• VRS- Video Relay Service

• CAPTel- captioning the phone conversation- no typing involved

Wyndtell Pager

• Send text messages• Full keyboard• Sends the message

to someone else's pager

• Also types email & fax• Has software so you

can talk on a TTY

Closed Captioning Words at the bottom of

the T.V. screen

• Started 1982

• 2 different kinds:

real time captioning

( live programs)

scripted

(pre-recorded program)

Problems with Closed Captioning

• Lose emotions in programs

• Must be able to read English quickly

• Captions may cut off in “real-time”

• At first TVs didn’t come with CC so you had to buy a “decoder” for $200

• Since 1993 tvs larger than 11” must have decoder chip-Why?

NCI- National Captioning Institute Real-time captioning

• 1. Someone is talking on TV• 2. At NCI -Stenographers

watch the show & type on stenograph machine

• 3. The phonetic type goes into a word processor at NCI –converted to English

• 4. English sent back to the TV station through phone lines

• 5. English is merged with the picture on the TV screen

• 6. Sent out to viewers homes• Completed in 4-6 seconds !

Fire Alarms

• Alarms have a flashing light/ sound alert and a vibrating pad (under a pillow or mattress)

• shakes person awake when smoke is detected.

Icommunicator

• Converts speech to text and video sign

language in real time