Closed captioning for your telephone

During our virus closures and movement restrictions I thought it would be a perfect timeto educate our hearing impaired community members and their families about afreeservice that is available to bring closed captioning to your telephones. Thanks totheAmericans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), fundsare set aside to help people with hearing loss effectively use the telephone. Caption callingisanFCC-authorized captioned telephone service and is funded by the Interstate TelecommunicationsRelay Service Fund, which is administered by the Federal Communications Commission, (FCC) for providing the captioning service. Caption calling works a lot like closed-caption television. It usesthe most advanced voice recognition technology and a fast transcription service to display writtencaptions of what a caller is saying on a large, easy-to-read screen telephone. With thecaptioncalling phone, you can hear and read what the other person is saying. The caption callingphonedisplays big, easy-to-read text that automatically scrolls during your conversation plus, youcanamplify the sound to better hear your caller’s voice with superb audio quality. It dials, rings, andworks just like a regular phone. There are a number of companies that provide these phones andthe captioning services and they are all free and cannot charge by law. They are reimbursedbythefederal government. If you have a hearing impairment that makes it difficult for you tousethephone, and if captions would allow you to use the phone more effectively, then captioncallingisfor you. This phone is intended for people experiencing hearing loss, regardless of the cause. Thismight include illness, injury, loud working conditions, military service, or simply getting older. Youyourself may not realize you are experiencing hearing loss. If you find yourself asking peopletorepeat themselves, or if people complain you don’t hear them on the phone or keep theradioorTV too loud, you may have hearing loss. A professional hearing test can confirmthe frequenciesthat are difficult for you to hear and recommend options that might help you manage a hearingloss. To be eligible and use caption calling, you must have: hearing loss that necessitates theuseof captioned telephone service, a high-speed internet connection, a self-certificationandprofessional certification that you have a hearing loss that requires the use of captions tousethetelephone as well as mandatory registration information must also be provided before youcanusethe captioning service. Federal requirements require that each individual who qualifies for theprogram provide the following certification that you have a hearing loss that necessitates useof captioned telephone service; that you understand captions on the captioned telephone serviceareprovided by a communications assistant who listens to the other party on the line to providethetext on the captioned phone; that you understand that the captioning service is funded throughafederal program; that you will not permit, to the best of your ability, persons who have not beenregistered to use caption calling to make captioned telephone calls. In addition tothis self certification a hearing professional must sign that you have taken a hearing test and need the device and service. Hearing test costs vary from clinic to clinic. Caption services andphoneproducts are typically available through hearing health care professionals who receivenocompensation to assist the hearing impaired with these tools. Some clinics are slowto helpthosewho don’t buy hearing aids, while others will help any hearing impaired person regardlessof hearing aid purchases. You, or your children could find out more by searching online for “closedcaptioning telephones” , or by contacting a local hearing health care provider. We are prayingwithyou all during these difficult days. During our virus closures and movement restrictions I thought it would be a perfect timeto educate our hearing impaired community members and their families about afreeservice that is available to bring closed captioning to your telephones. Thanks totheAmericans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), fundsare set aside to help people with hearing loss effectively use the telephone. Caption callingisanFCC-authorized captioned telephone service and is funded by the Interstate TelecommunicationsRelay Service Fund, which is administered by the Federal Communications Commission, (FCC) forproviding the captioning service. Caption calling works a lot like closed-caption television. It usesthe most advanced voice recognition technology and a fast transcription service to display writtencaptions of what a caller is saying on a large, easy-to-read screen telephone. With thecaptioncalling phone, you can hear and read what the other person is saying. The caption callingphonedisplays big, easy-to-read text that automatically scrolls during your conversation plus, youcanamplify the sound to better hear your caller’s voice with superb audio quality. It dials, rings, andworks just like a regular phone. There are a number of companies that provide these phones andthe captioning services and they are all free and cannot charge by law. They are reimbursedbythefederal government. If you have a hearing impairment that makes it difficult for you tousethephone, and if captions would allow you to use the phone more effectively, then captioncallingisfor you. This phone is intended for people experiencing hearing loss, regardless of the cause. Thismight include illness, injury, loud working conditions, military service, or simply getting older. Youyourself may not realize you are experiencing hearing loss. If you find yourself asking peopletorepeat themselves, or if people complain you don’t hear them on the phone or keep theradioorTV too loud, you may have hearing loss. A professional hearing test can confirmthe frequenciesthat are difficult for you to hear and recommend options that might help you manage a hearingloss. To be eligible and use caption calling, you must have: hearing loss that necessitates theuseof captioned telephone service, a high-speed internet connection, a self-certificationandprofessional certification that you have a hearing loss that requires the use of captions tousethetelephone as well as mandatory registration information must also be provided before youcanusethe captioning service. Federal requirements require that each individual who qualifies for theprogram provide the following certification that you have a hearing loss that necessitates useof captioned telephone service; that you understand captions on the captioned telephone serviceareprovided by a communications assistant who listens to the other party on the line to providethetext on the captioned phone; that you understand that the captioning service is funded throughafederal program; that you will not permit, to the best of your ability, persons who have not beenregistered to use caption calling to make captioned telephone calls. In addition tothis self certification a hearing professional must sign that you have taken a hearing test and need the device and service. Hearing test costs vary from clinic to clinic. Caption services andphoneproducts are typically available through hearing health care professionals who receivenocompensation to assist the hearing impaired with these tools. Some clinics are slowto helpthosewho don’t buy hearing aids, while others will help any hearing impaired person regardlessof hearing aid purchases. You, or your children could find out more by searching online for “closedcaptioning telephones” , or by contacting a local hearing health care provider. We are prayingwithyou all during these difficult days.