Potential Impact of New Technologies on Telecommunication for Elders (2006)

Promise for greater ease of use, less cost. Telecommunications is undergoing a revolution. From phones in offices and homes to cell phones, we are seeing a shift from the traditional method of connecting telephones to a public network to a new method whereby the telephones are connected through the Internet or on private networks using Internet protocol. All of these changes hold great promise for improving ease of use for elders. This article explores the technological advances to date and the resulting new opportunities. OLD STANDBYS Some of the new technologies improve upon or extend the capabilities of the old standbys. For years, telephones have allowed those who cannot hear well to turn the volume up louder. Some people have hearing aids with a small device called a T-coil that allows them to turn off the microphone on their hearing aid (which picks up all the sounds in their vicinity) and lets them invisibly link their hearing aid direcdy to their telephone. In this way, they can hear sounds from the telephone more dearly because interfering background noises are shut out (Kozma-Spytek, 2003). Some people use standard speaker phones with the volume turned up. People who cannot hear well enough to understand over the phone can use devices called TTYS, which allow them to communicate in text over standard telephones and telephone lines by typing. The person's typing on the TTY keyboard generates tones that go out over the phone line. Each letter has a unique tone. At the receiving end, the tones are converted back into letters by another tty device. TTYS have been available since the late 1960s. Most states provide them free of charge to individuals who need them (Lang, 2000; Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program Association, 2006). A person who is deaf can communicate with someone who does not have a tty by using a telephone relay service. A deaf individual can call a relay service, using a TTY, and type a request to the relay operator to phone someone. The relay operator reads the text the deaf caller has sent and then calls the requested party (e.g., pizza parlor, bank, friend) and reads aloud what the deaf person types. When the person at the receiving end of the phone talks back to the deaf person, the operator types whatever is said back to the deaf caller. In this way, a person who has a TTY can communicate with anyone who has an ordinary telephone. If the person who is deaf can speak dearly, it is also possible to have him or her talk directly to the person at the receiving end. Relay operators have been available as a free service since the 1990s, when the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed. People who can hear but have impaired can also use the relay service. These individuals can use TTYS to communicate with relay operators, who can then speak for them. If the person's is merely hard to understand, he or she can use the to speech service (Federal Communications Commission, 2003). With this service, the individual talks to a relay operator who is specially trained to understand impaired speech. The operator then relays the message to the person at the other end of the call. NEW TECHNOLOGIES With advances in telephone technologies, a number of new options are opening up for individuals who are hard of hearing or deaf, or who have impaired or cognitive disabilities. Because newer telephones are smarter, new and even features can be built directly into standard telephones. We are approaching a time when almost every phone we encounter will be equipped so that individuals who have reduced hearing or can use it to communicate. As a result, individuals with these impairments (except for those with multiple or uncommon disabilities) would not have to buy special phones that are hard to find, costly, and perhaps be stigmatizing. These capabilities are not built into standard phones today, but they could be in the future. …