Other factors complicate the picture of which system should be used to teach children who are deaf and hard of hearing to communicate. They are supported by the various oral philosophies. Today the options for support from technology are exciting. A wide variety of hearing aids can be tailored to individual patterns of loss. Students in classrooms may use a variety of assistive listening devices that help them hear the teacher while filtering out ambient noise.
Many states have relay services that work in conjunction with TDDs.
Television sets are now produced with built-in closed captioning capabilities, or for older TVs, viewers may purchase captioners. A variety of alerting devices are available which use visual means to alert individuals to doorbells, telephones, a knock at the door, a baby's crying, oven timers, and smoke detectors, among other sounds of daily life. Vibrating devices may be used in place of an alarm clock. Current estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, 1991. Vital and Health Statistics, Series 10.