The next time someone tries to tell you that the deaf are handicapped or, in any way, present the ailment as a form of detriment or impediment, think of the name Ludwig Van Beethoven. Beethoven was a virtuoso pianist and an unparalleled composer who was absolutely absorbed in his work. He had no care or interest in the mundane world of ordinary people and their ordinary lives – working, country duels, book keeping, Debt Counseling, reading, marriage, children – and, instead, devoted every fiber of his being to the world of music. He could conduct, compose and coordinate with the best of them and his prowess continued even through his hearing loss.
That’s right. Ludwig Van Beethoven, a name we associate with musical greatness to this very day, suffered from hearing loss – in fact, he was completely deaf. While he was not born deaf, his hearing gradually deteriorated in his late twenties until he was left with absolutely nothing. While some say this was the low point in his life and career, many people claim quite the opposite. It was his inability to not hear the noise pollution of everyday life, his ability to intensely focus on his work without interruption that made him a musical great – even with hearing loss.
Uncategorized | 2.04.2012 0:00 | Comments Off
Technology is getting better and better each day and with these advancements we are starting to see some amazing improvements that are happening in the deaf community. Some of the newest technologies being worked on are to make every day life more normal for everyone improving on cell phones, computers, and also modern day gaming systems.
Recently a new Android app called “Mtouch Mobile” was released for the HTC EVO and Nexus S smart phones which will allow deaf people to communicate by phone using real-time sign language interpreters. The new technology Read the rest of this entry »
Uncategorized | 8.07.2011 0:00 | Comments Off
Much of the new technology coming out to help the deaf interact with the world around them is focusing on using mobile devices, such as cell phones. Since practically everyone nowadays has a cell phone, it is an excellent tool to incorporate aids for the deaf. Another plus of using cell phones to implement new technology is the fact that they are much more affordable than utilizing other technological advances, such as cochlear implants. Check out the latest in cell phone technology for the deaf.
Researchers at MIT are Read the rest of this entry »
Uncategorized | 21.06.2011 0:00 | Comments Off
Back ten years ago or more, the technology for the deaf was interesting. Technology could be set up so that a light would turn on and off if the phone was ringing or someone was ringing the door bell. Communication improvements made possible for the deaf have been just amazing. Moving beyond the standard TTY technology, the deaf now have other means of communication available to them if they are comfortable with learning something new. There is now Read the rest of this entry »
Uncategorized | 19.06.2011 0:00 | Comments Off
Children are the last people you expect to need a hearing aid, but younger members of the population are not immune from deafness. In fact, many of the leading causes of deafness can appear in children as young as 2. Making sure your child can hear properly is an important part of being a parent so take this advice to help determine if your child has hearing issues.
Look for cues. Does your child respond when you call their name? Read the rest of this entry »
Uncategorized | 31.05.2011 0:00 | Comments Off
Only a few decades back the deaf had little hope in pursuing interesting careers of their choice. Typically they were limited to teaching at schools for the deaf, working in non-profit organizations or settling for a trade. Deaf technology is extremely influential in changing the lifestyle and employment options for the deaf.
Here are some examples:
video relay services where the deaf and hearing communicate via a remote interpreter that relays the conversation through video
closed captioning on television
deaf alarm clocks
One of the best known inspirational stories of a deaf person succeeding in the hearing world is that Read the rest of this entry »
Uncategorized | 26.04.2011 0:00 | Comments Off
Deaf people deal with many challenges. Hearing aids help, but have limitations. The best hearing aids are very expensive. Yet, most health care companies do not cover hearing aids. This leaves many deaf people using hearing aids that do not fulfill their needs. Many deaf people in developed countries practice lip reading to supplement their hearing aids. However, much of the world’s population cannot afford a hearing aid and are forced to use lip reading, for their only means of understanding what is said. Lip reading can be tricky though. For example, the letters p and b in Read the rest of this entry »
Uncategorized | 11.04.2011 0:00 | Comments Off
Hearing loss and deafness makes life challenging for many, but thankfully technological advances and a greater desire to understand deafness and deaf culture by the hearing community is making things easier than they once were.
The American Disabilities Act forced much more equality in the workplace by deaf people and as a result more effort has been made to insure that hearing and non-hearing people will be able to communicate with one another through technology and other means. Among the first steps Read the rest of this entry »
Uncategorized | 30.03.2011 0:00 | Comments Off
The world has gone mobile, but without parallel technological developments for the hearing impaired, deaf consumers are in danger of falling behind. Phones have caused a longtime problem in terms of providing an adequate communication medium in the deaf community. Cell phones have offered improvements by leaps and bounds over land lines, helping to expand the options available for the hearing impaired to contact the outside world. However, while applications such as text messaging provide practical function, the cell phone experience has still been far from optimized for deaf users.The prospect of video chatting via cell phone finally offers the chance for those with hearing loss to use cell phones in the same way as the rest of the world, by allowing for instant person to person communication, as opposed to the response delay and out of context issues so often found when texting. Still, the limited bandwidth poses clarity issues in video chat sessions, with an uninterrupted, streaming feed necessary in order for sign language to be properly interpreted back and forth. Not to mention, small screens and limited picture quality make the process difficult.With this in mind, the University of Washington is currently developing a program dubbed MobileASL (Mobile American Sign Language). Read the rest of this entry »
Technology | 21.01.2011 0:00 | Comments Off
Though at first it might seem like an oxymoron, deaf radio may indeed be entering cars for the first time, finally giving deaf and hearing impaired individuals the similarly entertaining commute millions of auto-travelers take for granted every morning and rush hour. Though television has been available to those hard of hearing for some time, the radio medium has been largely off limits as a result of the almost entirely auditory nature of the broadcasts. Just like television offers optional caption viewing, this new development may allow for an auxiliary radio screens to display text that corresponds with radio play. The technology will feature a GPS screen for the driver, while scrolling radio text for the passenger. Read the rest of this entry »
Technology | 17.11.2010 11:46 | Comments Off