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General discussion

Need a cell phone that work with hearing aid.

Mar 5, 2005 9:17AM PST

Hi All,

I need a cell phone that will work with the tilacoil of the hearing aid. Don?t tell me about the stupid loop thing to use around my neck. I already know about that and to me that is not an acceptable solution. I should be able to use a cell phone like anyone else. Any cell phone company want to respond and explain why they are still in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Johncv

Discussion is locked

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cell phone
Mar 5, 2005 10:50AM PST

Check w/ your current provider. They should have a department that can assist you more directly w/ a phone to suit you needs, I am not certain which model will best help you. I do know that Radio Shack has an amplifier device that works with a standard headset. Hope that is somewhat helpful.

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HAC (Hearing Aid Compatible) cell phones
Mar 5, 2005 12:46PM PST

Two years ago I embarked on this same search. It was frustrating not being able to try it out at the stores. Basically the CDMA technology (Verizon, Sprint etc) is compatible with hearing aids, but not GSM (AT&T, Cingular etc). Before my 2-yrs contract was up, I contemplated switching to AT&T because the company has lower plans and discounts. I tried and returned at least three phones to AT&T. The GSM technology generates too much background buzz and static pick up by the frequency interference with the hearing aid. Verizon sound and reception quality is far more superior...just as the Verizon man ask "Can you hear me now", the answer is yes. It helps to get a cell phone that is a flip phone with a speakerphone and a 2.5 jack. The flip phone apparently puts more distance between the mic and the hearing aid and lessens the interference. The jack is so you can attach an ear set for amplification if desired or necessary. There is an excellent ear set product made by HATIS (recommended by SHHH) specifically for hearing aid users and interacts with the T-coil of the hearing aid. It is very superior and delivers voice directly into your ear via your hearing aid. It costs between $100 to $200 and is well worth it. Any of the free or low cost ($20-30) phones being offered by the provider such as Verizon will work great so long as you have HATIS. Good luck and happy shopping.

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Re: HAC
May 9, 2005 12:55AM PDT

I sell accessible cell phone solutions to people with special needs, www.etoengineering.com. You can contact me through my website.

The law governing accessible cell phones is determined by the FCC Hearing aid compatibility act of 1998, amended in 2003, the FCC section 255 of the telecommunications Act, and section 508 of the Rehabilitation act. The ADA does not govern HAC. There are ways to file complaints if you want to contact me.

HAC is determined by two parts:
1. T-coil coupling
2. Reduced RF interference

The Motorola V series is advertised on their website as offering t-coil coupling. Again that's half the battle. Plantronics M series headsets also claim t-coil coupling. Depending on a lot of factors you could still get intereference to make your experience difficult which is where the neckloops and HATIS products come in. In general CDMA is better than GSM and flip phones are better than candy bar design. Another approach is to use the speakerphone to get some distance between the phone and hearing aids. The Blackberry from Nextel is an excellent choice in that regard as it has a very loud speakerphone and is also good or text messaging and e-mail which are commmon communications methods for the hard of hearing.