Most of us know the feeling.
We’re on the telephone, and suddenly we lose the connection with the person we’re talking to.
(Courtesy of Florida Telecommunications Relay)
But imagine if you always had trouble hearing the person on the other end of the line. For people who are hard of hearing, talking on the telephone can be a tremendous challenge.
Life can get easier, now, through some new telephones offered for free to people who have been certified with a hearing loss or have speech difficulties. They are being offered by Michael Sutter, an outreach specialist for Florida Telecommunications Relay Inc., a nonprofit distributor of specialized telecommunications equipment for people with hearing loss and speech difficulties.
The cordless phones can amplify incoming sounds so that people receiving the call can hear the equivalent of someone talking to them from less than 5 feet away, Sutter said.
The telephones are purchased with funds secured from taxes people and businesses pay for telephone lines intended to serve people with communications difficulties, Sutter said. The available telephone, the XLC2, was developed by Clarity, a division of Plantronics Inc.
Features of the XLC2 include a talking caller ID, which announces the incoming caller, and a talking dial pad that reads the numbers as they are dialed. The large, easy-to-read buttons also are backlit to help senior citizens who have low vision. The buttons on the handset are spaced apart to be easily accessible for those with dexterity issues or arthritis.
To qualify for a telephone, the recipient must be a Florida resident and certified as having a speech loss or hearing difficulty.
“Our target demographic is Boomer and up,” Sutter said, but recipients can be young or old, as long as they have documentation of their hearing or speech issues.
A hearing aid specialist or audiologist typically provides the information, but there are other avenues that can be used as well to get the certification, Sutter said.
For additional information, visit FTRI.org, or call (800) 222-3448.
Free cordless telephones are available to Florida residents who have a documented hearing loss or speech difficulty. The phones can be obtained by filling out an application and visiting a Florida Telecommunications Relay Inc. office.
An office can be found at Self Reliance for Independent Living, 8901 N. Armenia Ave. in Tampa.
Published April 2, 2014
