When you reach the point in your hearing loss that you just can’t find a phone that’s loud enough, here’s the answer: captioned calls! The Captioned Telephone enables seniors and others with hearing loss to once again connect with friends, family, caregivers, physicians -- anyone you want to speak with over the phone.
Much like closed captioning on TV, the words that are spoken by your caller appear on a screen -- a generous-sized display screen on the phone that’s easy to see and easy to read. As your caller speaks, their words scroll across the screen and you see what they say in real time. Then you can answer or respond by speaking as you always do when using the phone.
Though it seems like magic, it’s one more benefit of the computer age: a technology that generates voice-to-text translation, provided by a live Captioning Assistant. You must have a high-speed Internet connection and standard phone service to access captioning. The Captioned Telephone Service is funded by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) - a government agency – allowing you to access the service at no cost. With just the purchase of the phone, the text captioning will always be there when you need it, giving you the ability to effectively communicate over the phone.
Captioned calls are of great benefit when you can’t hear on the phone anymore -- Captioned Telephone is excellent assistive technology and an essential aid for individuals with hearing loss. The captioning function can be turned on when needed. The phone also offers a number of other valuable features, such as adjustable volume amplification, the ability to save captions for review later and answering machine functionality (those messages are also captioned with just the touch of a button).
The keypad has large, easy-to-use buttons, and you can call out in the same fashion you always have. Your callers do not need any special equipment or a captioned phone in order to call you. It’s simple for them, simple for you -- and how wonderful to end the frustration, the need for your callers to repeat what they said, and the urging from you to "Speak louder".
The Captioned Telephone comes with a telephone cord, power adapter (plugs into your regular wall outlet), a five-foot connector cable and a guidebook.
NOTE: * Requires telephone service and high-speed Internet (WiFi or via Ethernet cable)
If you’d prefer a caption phone with a touchscreen display and a sleek, modern design, check out the Captioned Telephone with Touchscreen.