How Do Deaf People Use Telephones? What About Doorbells and Alarm Clocks?

How do deaf people use telephones? What about doorbells and alarm clocks?

There are many everyday devises that we hearing people take for granted, among these are telephones, smoke alarms, doorbells, and alarm clocks. When we look at how members of the deaf community use these everyday items we must consider that members within the community have very different communication needs, abilities, and preferences. Hard-of-hearing people for example can use a standard telephone with the addition of a headset or amplifier, while some hard-of-hearing people may prefer a TTY deaf persons rely on it, or a relay service to communicate as we (hearing people) would on a telephone.

Teletype or Teletypewriter, commonly known as a TTY come in a variety to choose from. In order to use a TTY both parties must have one. Many TTYs are portable, either battery operated, or electric. TTYs are not cheap! The most basic model will cost well over one