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Are there doctors in the east bay who sign?
The Deaf Counseling, Advocacy & Referral Agency (DCARA) website at
www.dcara.org has a link to an information & referral database with
many resources for deaf and hard of hearing people. Dr. Fred Hochman is
a deafened person and uses ASL. He is listed in the Blue Shield directory.
His office is located at 1999 Mowry Avenue, Suite L, Fremont 94538; his
phone number is 510-797-2939 (voice) and his email address is fphship@aol.com.
This is the only signing doctor in the Bay Area that DCARA IS aware of.
Robert Roth
Best phone for hearing loss
My mother-in-law is very hard of hearing, despite hearing aids. Although I think she is working with good audiologists, her hearing is increasingly getting worse. She has used phones designed to amplify the sound in the past, but they have never worked well (screeching tones, sound that fade in & out, etc.). We really need to find her a good phone. Is there a website you could point me to or, even better, a local retail establishment you would recommend? My husband used to work for Pac Bell & now works in high tech, so he is pretty savvy about technology, but this is a specialized area. Any direction you could give me would be most appreciated!
You may want to check that your mother-in-law's hearing aids have a special setting for use with the phone and that it's working properly. The squealing could be coming from the aid when it's pressed close to the receiver, rather than the phone itself. Good luck - I know how frustrating this can be
I have one hearing ear and in that ear have moderate loss. The phone issue is big for me and it seems like I'll never be completely satisfied, but I have resolved it enough to get along quite well with little disruption (and no feedback issues). Although I have a long discussion here -- I think the best way to help your mother-in-law is to find a good audiologist who considers this sort of education as part of the service of providing hearing aids, and go with her to discuss her phone options (and her options when she's getting a new hearing aid). The other people to talk to are at what is called either the California Telephone Access Program (1-800-806-1191 voice#) or the Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program (1-800-772-3140 voice#). (They keep changing --If neither of those numbers work inquire with the SBC or the Public Utilities Commission.) Last I knew this program loans phone equipment to people with 'certified' disabilities -- in my case an application or letter signed by the audiologist saying I had a hearing impairment. I got equipment from them years ago -- described below -- and can hold on to it until I die or need something different as far as I understand. As was suggested in a recent response, many (maybe most or all) hearing aids have a T-coil switch which somehow magnifies phone sounds without the feedback haring aids otherwise give when too close to a phone. The problem is that even inthe most expensive hearing aids they can be weak, so that the magnification is not enough, and/or also as in my case, some people just can't get over feeling more comfortable wiht more natural sound from not using a hearing aid. Of course some cannot hear well enough to use no hearing aid wiht the phone no matter what. What works for me is a phone with a good volume switch. Rotary switches that can be accessed without having to ask the person to hold on and put the phone away from your ear are the best. I have one wth a rotary switch on the outside of the handle and one on the inside that are both helpful. I also have a cordless phone with two volume buttons with arrows -- one for louder and one to make it softer. This is not as good -- they're located next to my ear piece and I have to pull the phone from my ear so I can see to make sure I'm pushing hte right button. Another option is an amplifier you can place over the hearing piece (a rubber holder wraps around the phone handle to hold it in place, but with many phones you cannot hang up or leave it in the cradle wiht the piece on. This is good for mobility however, to ensure you have amplofication when away from home. I guess a good volume control could also help when using phone with hearing aid T-coil -- ask the audiologist. I think your mother-in-law would be better off using t-coil with or without amplification (whichever she needs) or phone amplification wtih no hearing aid. For me it's too difficult to get used to the contortions you need to do to use a phone with a hearing aid on it's regular (non-t-coil) setting -- you have to hold the phone in a certain spot to avoid feedback. And I'm a young long- experienced hearing aid wearer -- audiologists tend to remark how much easier it is for me to deal with hearing aids than their mostly older patients. If your mother-in-law is trying to use the phone with regular hearing aid setting I would advise that you go with her to the audiologist and discuss more functional options. Good luck.
I use the ameriphone adapter with my phone and it's great. It really does the job. I would really recommend that you look into a few sites: http://www.listen-up.org/edu/assist.htm#22 http://www.dcaradeafstore.com/ (DCARA) and http://www.hearingsociety.org (The Hearing Society of the Bay Area) good luck meriah
In regards to the question about best phones for hearing loss. Check out the DCARA bookstore's selection of assistive devices and amplified phones. You can try them out here. Another place to try is the DDTP FREE telephone program. A visit to their distribution center in Oakland off of the 12th Street BART station may be worthwhile; they have many amplified phones to select from.
Robert I. Roth, M.A. Chief Executive Officer, Deaf Counseling, Advocacy & Referral Agency, www.dcara.org
Hello, you should contact DCARA which services include Deaf counseling, Advocacy and Referrals. They are located at 14895 East 14th St. Suite 200 , San Leandro , CA 94578 . They have a toll free TTY 877-322-7288. The DCARA Deaf store is located at 1550 San Leandro Blvd. San Leandro , CA 94577 510-351-3937 TTY Brian Martinez . All the best to you and your baby. Rebecca
I am hearing impaired and cannot depend on hearing a baby cry in the next room. When I had babies I found that Fisher Price had a very useful monitor. I think there were other brands. also available at stores, with the same features too. There was a base unit to leave in the baby's room that picked up sounds. Then there was a walkie-talkie-like unit with an antenna that I could carry around with me. The one I with me had had a light display as well as a volume dial. It had a reasonably wide range -- I could go out in the yard for instance. I think the version I had offered two frequencies, and if one didn't work the other did. The only problem is possible interference with someone's cordless phone. This arose for us when our neighbor bought a new phone. I don't recall if the interference made the unit completely unusable or just extra sensitive. I vaguely recall that the monitor still worked, just had to avoid certain spots int he house. But my memory may be off. Hope this is helpful
1) Sonic alert fax 248 577 5433 email sonic-nfo@sonicalert.com or DCARA has carried it (it had been selling for $40)
2) Vibrating cry alarm www.hearmore.com fax 631 752 0689
Good Luck, Judi