Cell Phones / Home Phones / Amplified Phones

From something as simple as an amplified telephone to specialized handsets and electronic band adjustments, a variety of devices are available to assist people with hearing loss in using the voice telephone.

Phone Amplifiers

Many phones now have a volume control. Some are specially designed for people with a hearing loss. The most powerful of these may amplify the signal as much as 30 decibels.

Some phones also have other special features of interest to people with a hearing loss such as: mini-plug jack (for plugging in a headphone, audio-loop or DAI), frequency control, and extra loud, adjustable ringers. Phones that do not have amplifiers built in can usually be adapted with an add-on telephone amplifier.

A telephone amplifier can usually be added to telephones that don't have one built in. Some simply fit over the ear piece and are powered by a small battery. These can be convenient and portable, but they come in all levels of quality ... some so poor as to be essentially useless. If you need a good portable strap-on amplifier, be sure to buy one of top quality.

Other styles can be inserted "in-line" between the phone and the handset. Some of the adaptors also provide a stronger magnetic signal so that a tele-coil can better pick up the signal. Some also provide not only increased volume, but a way to boost the high frequencies more than lower frequencies.

 

Cell Phone Blue Tooth Interface

Cordless Blue Tooth headsets are available for cell phones that function with hearing aids. This leaves your hands free and lets you enjoy what's being said on the other end of the phone.

Because a loudspeaker is integrated into the headsets, they can also be used with many other hearing systems without magnetic coils, as well as with computers, organizers and the internet.

 

Text Phones

For the severely hearing impaired, there are text phones which allow the person to read text messages with the assistance of a relay line. Some text phones are lightweight and portable and some are also cell phone compatible.