I’ve gotten to the point where I have a really hard time understanding people on the phone. So, I usually request text or email. I can access email all the time since I can just check it on my iPhone.
Verizon’s frequency causes my hearing aid to make an obnoxious buzzing sound when I put it in the t-coil setting. The t-coil setting basically shuts out everything around me, and allows me to use headphones to watch TV, listen to music, o talk on phones other than my cell phone. I absolutely love this setting, and I think it is the greatest invention in hearing aid technology there is.
If you can’t avoid phone calls, there are two iPhone/Android apps that work pretty well for the deaf and hard of hearing. They’re closed captioning services that transcribe what the caller is saying, so you can read the conversation in real time.
They are called Hamilton Captel and Clear Captions. I haven’t quite grasped Hamilton. You have to dial from it, then it calls you, then you have to get back into it in order to see the transcript. If the caller wants to call you using Hamilton, they have to dial a bunch of extra numbers. When it comes to that situation, you can always call them back in Hamilton after they’ve called you. Clear Captions is easier to use.
There have been so many times when I want to scream in frustration because I can’t understand people on the phone. This is a relatively new issue, partly with recently loss of hearing, and partly because I switched from Alltel to Verizon 2 years ago. I’m glad that smartphones are around to make the captioning services available. That way, I don’t have to rely on TTY.
I wish the smartphones didn’t have to come with that expensive monthly data package. More people would have access to these awesome apps.
While I’m on the topic of transcription, I wish there was some kind of device that could transcribe lectures in real time, so I can follow along, and have a transcript to refer to later. I thought this would make a great iPhone app, but currently the iPhone’s recorder is not strong enough.
August 3, 2012 at 6:05 pm
Hello!
Wow… so I know you wrote this quite some time ago and not sure if you’ll get notice of this comment, but I’m new to the area of having increasing difficulty on my cell phone, and with the barrage of different results online of things to help, and company websites, it was nice to come across this page with actual feedback on a user’s experience with some of it.
Since you wrote this, have you come across other options, or still have good results with old ones? I knew about t-coil’s (maybe I should get set up for them again, in the past, I remember not liking the ‘tinny-ness’ and not getting in the habit of it), but the captioning sounds great… basically seem like my best two options for better usage with cell phone, and trying to figure out what to get set up with.
Appreciate any thoughts!
August 3, 2012 at 6:25 pm
Hi, I got a cochlear implant in December, so now I use that ear to talk on the phone. It works much better than a hearing aid. It doesn’t have the interference that the hearing aid does.
I have heard good things about the caption apps. There is also a service called CaptionCall. It is a landline that a rep installs.
I still use text and email a lot if I can and use my hearing aid t-coil for music.
August 5, 2012 at 10:01 pm
Hello!
Thank you for the reply! Oi… there’s just a lot on the internet, and a lot I haven’t looked into until now (either due to knowledge or avoidance). Most of my life spent with hearing aids, and doing just fine on my own (except for the phone, etc), and frustrating that recently been dealing with a bit of an increased loss. So, it’s a bit of a two-part thing, with making myself get a more thoroughly better option for hearing on my cell with my aid, since in the meantime, shifting through info for possibly getting a cochlear on my worse ear.
And so, the best options seem to be setting up t-coil again (can’t remember why I didn’t care to use it in the past, perhaps my more recent aids will sound better with it). Or getting all wondering at coming across this phone captioning (so obvious, why did I not consider it before… ha). I’m like you, and mainly use text and email. But for times I can’t, … that’s when I came across your post, and….. sounds pretty cool? I guess I just wanted to ask someone who’s actually used them about quality and ease. It sounds as though you liked? Heck, I wonder with needing to upgrade to use the apps, if they take up a whole lot of data plan bandwidth. Sorry for getting so wordy! Nice to come across this blog, and thank you for writing back!!
-Emily
September 27, 2012 at 1:20 pm
Well this comments sound really good but personally Clear Caption has no worked for me. When a try to use the feature it does nothing, the other party answer but there is no captioning. I was hoping to get some results with Clear Caption since I had a CaptionCall telephone but unfutunately the service is so erratic, it works off and on and sometimes not work at all or quits all the sudden leaving me in the dark
March 12, 2013 at 4:40 pm
Hi. I am deafness in all life. In Montana, I was asking the pastor at his church about caption talking closed captioning pastors for deafs. They can’t affort and most of reasons in his wish that he don’t like most poeple to looking their wall screen in church more tha to look at him during his speaking. If so, does they have the captioning techniques? I would love to buy one for myself owner.