Veterans Office Provides Special Phones For Hearing Impaired
Hearing loss affects approximately 37.5 million Americans aged 18 and over, including more than half of those over age 75, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which also notes that, as of 2020, more than 1.3 million Veterans were receiving disability compensation for hearing loss.
Even partial hearing loss can make using a telephone, something most people take for granted, difficult or even impossible. That is why the Jefferson County Veterans Services Office has partnered with Heroes With Hearing Loss. Veteran Services Officer Don Cook told FJN, “We have joined with them to provide our Veterans in Jefferson the ability to get a caption phone at no cost to the Veterans.”
A caption phone uses voice-to-text technology and automated speech recognition to transcribe spoken conversation, so that a speaker’s words will appear on a screen.
Three different styles of phone are available, including one with extra-large fonts for users with low vision.
Veterans with hearing loss that are eligible to receive a caption phone must fill out a form, which available from the Veterans Office at the Jefferson County Courthouse or online at: https://heroeswithhearingloss.org/.
For those who would like to see an example of a caption phone, Cook said, “We have one in the office to show any Veteran that might want to see one.”
