Top tips on hearing loss and computing
Alex.Barker | 16 Aug 2016If you are one of the over 900,000 people with hearing loss in the UK there are some really useful functions built into technology. Here are some top tips.
Although I can’t hear very well my sight is fine. Is there any way of having captions on the screen?
Yes, there is. You can turn on the captioning service which means that you will be able to understand more quickly what the device is doing. Both Android and Apple devices have this feature.
One useful feature is that you can change the font size and colour of the caption to make it more comfortable to follow.
I wear hearing aids. Can I connect these to my portable device?
If you have an Apple device you can connect your Bluetooth hearing aids to your device. This means that your hearing aid works in conjunction with your iPhone enabling you to have easier interaction with your device.
Can a smartphone help detect noises in my house?
Later versions of the Samsung Galaxy have a useful facility where the phone will vibrate if it hears the cry of a baby or the ring of a doorbell. If you have a wearable device from Samsung it will also send a message to that too. It is no substitute for a baby sitter though. There are apps available from the Apple store, which do the same sort of job.
Case study: Using a Blutetooth hearing aid with your phoone
Ronnie called to see if we could help his partner Brenda out. She is hard of hearing and needed some help with connecting up her Bluetooth hearing aids up to her iPhone.
Dave, one of our IT Can Help volunteers went out to see them in their own home and managed to help Brenda. She is now more confident in using her iPhone because she can hear it more effectively.
How can AbilityNet help?
AbilityNet provides a range of services to help disabled people and older people.
- Call our free Helpline on 0800 269 545 and our friendly, knowledgeable staff will offer one-to-one help.
- If you are in work your employer has a responsibility to make Reasonable Adjustments which include helping you with invisible illnesses. Find out more about how we help disabled in the workplace.
- Arrange a home visit from one of our amazing AbilityNet ITCanHelp volunteers. They can come to your home, or help you over the phone.
- We have a range of factsheets which talk in detail about technology that might help you, which can be downloaded for free. You may find our factsheets talking about voice recognition and keyboard alternatives useful.
- My Computer My Way is our free interactive guide to all the accessibility features built into current desktops, laptops, tables and smartphones.