by Kay Tyberg
Embracing the 21st Century hearing assistive technology has brought products to meet the needs for the hearing loss community. The hearing aids transformed from analog to digital with bluetooth and other features such as noise reduction and rechargeable batteries. Further developments and improvements with cochlear implants have been limitless. Med-El, AB, and Cochlear Companies are empowering people with hearing loss to broaden their connectivity and communication in our society. Other hearing assistive technology products are in the works and our younger generation of engineers and developers are doing a wonderful job envisioning future needs. A wide variety of apps are available to suit your needs. The inductive loop system has improved its quality. Something new is the Olelo Captioned Calls app which is available for Android and iPhone users. The key features are a) transcription accuracy, b) keeps all pre-existing contacts, c) 9-1-1 calls captioned in real time, d) functions anywhere there is Wi-Fi or mobile data, e) 100% privacy, f) entire call transcripts in your call history, and g) voicemail transcribed by accurate speech recognition.
As a Network Consumer Hearing Assistive Technology Trainer (N-CHATT) I would like to hear from people with hearing loss on what challenges they still experience that device he/she has not been available. What hearing assistive technology would you like to see? For example, an aging adult is looking for a security and emergency device he/she can wear 24/7 in the event of falls, 9-1-1 calls, home security which is not fundamentally set up as “audio” which so many products are today. Would folks like a comparison chart of apps, a listing of hearing aids on the market broken down into categories, etc. Let’s be crystal clear in the hearing loss world one shoe does not fit all.
You are welcome to contact me at aktyberg@gmail.com, text messaging only at 570-494-6419, or send me a message via Facebook messenger under Kay Tyberg.
Kay Tyberg
ALDA member
N-CHATT [Pennsylvania]
Peer Mentor
Deaf and HOH Advocate
Sign Language Instructor
Class of 72 GU