Accessibility for Deaf/HOH

Making life accessible for the deaf and hard of hearing often requires technology. Most technologies have been around a long time, and new technologies continue to emerge. Some technologies are inexpensive, and others are not.

Assistive Listening Devices

Assistive Listening Devices - Aid for Hard of Hearing People
Can't hear an alarm clock or a doorbell? Try an assistive listening device.

Audio Frequency Induction Loops
Guest article on audio frequency induction loops, which help hard of hearing people to hear in rooms.

Captioning

Captioning
Captioning resources on the internet.

Described and Captioned Media Program
Regardless of what your child's class may be studying at the moment, the Described and Captioned Media Program probably has something that will help to bring the topic to life for your deaf or hard of hearing child.

History of Closed Captioning
Closed captioning has now been around for a long time. This article looks at the history in brief, and includes my own contributions to closed captioning history.

How to Become a Captioner
Captioning is a growth field, and it needs employees for offline and realtime (live) captioning.

Low-Cost Theatre Captioning
Need a cheap and easy way to caption a theater performance for a college or high school with a low budget for accessibility? Check out this article.

Web Video Captioning Technologies
Internet video can be easily captioned. Here are some of the available resources for doing so.

Rear Window Caption Display System
I finally tried the new Rear Window Caption Display for movie theaters. Did I like it? See the follow-up, Round Two, where our second experience with Rear Window Captioning was more positive.

Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART)

Breaking Down Laws Applicable to CART
Guest article examining existing disability laws and how they apply to Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART).

Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART)
A possible alternative to using an interpreter, for certain situations.

Hearing Dogs

Hearing Dogs for the Deaf
Hearing dog resources on the Internet. About hearing dogs, how to get one, raising hearing dogs, and more.

Interpreting

Interpreting for the Deaf
About.com has several articles on interpreting for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Finding an Interpreter
Resources for finding a sign language interpreter.

Legal Rights

Deaf People at Doctors, Dentists, and Hospitals
The legal background, caveats, and resources relative to getting an interpreter for a medical appointment or hospital situation.

Legal Rights
Legal rights for deaf and hard of hearing people, from the Americans with Disabilities Act to captioning. A student also wrote a paper on legal rights for deaf and hard of hearing, which was published by About.com.

Police Mistreatment of Deaf
A deaf man believed his ADA rights were violated when he was arrested.

Miscellaneous Technology

Accessibility - Making the Home Accessible
How can deaf/hard of hearing people make their homes accessible?

Technology for Deafblind People
What technologies are available to help deafblind people access information and communicate? That's the question answered by this FAQ page.

TTYs
TTYs, a basic communications necessity for deaf and severely hard of hearing people. About.com also has an article on Robert Weitbrecht, the inventor of the TTY.

Wireless Communication for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Wireless text communication through instant messaging has all but replaced the TTY for many deaf people.

Relay Services

Internet Relay Services
Many text and video relay services are available over the Internet.