Speaking with a New Voice

Writer: Tiffany Whisner, Coles Marketing Pick up your phone. Dial a number. Talk to someone. You listen to them talk back. Seems easy, doesn’t it? Not for everyone. For many years, a person with impaired hearing or speech had to use text telephones, also known as TTY, in order to communicate over the phone. This […]

ASL Kids — Sign Language

Looking for an app to help teach your child American Sign Language (ASL)?  Check out ASL Kids — Sign Language, a free app available for both iOS and Android devices.  According to the app’s description, children learn best “by imitating other kids” so within the app, ASL is taught by children ages 1-12. ASL Kids […]

Steve Gleason Act cuts red tape for those with ALS

Thanks to Steve Gleason, people who require speech generating devices won’t have to cut through so much red tape. A former football star, Gleason led the charge to make speech-generating devices more readily accessible after he was diagnosed with ALS in 2011. Individuals with ALS — also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease — are at […]

Signily: iOS keyboard allows you to communicate in sign language

While communicating may be easier on mobile phones for the general population, communication tends to be more limited for individuals who are deaf.  For instance, said individuals often communicate using sign language, but using sign language isn’t really an option, unless using video messages.  This is about to change with the release of Signily, a sign language […]

How to make your iOS device accessible

Since the birth of the iPhone over eight years ago, Apple has worked hard to make their devices as user-friendly as possible.  In order to reach the widest range of consumers, Apple’s products feature simple controls and interfaces on their iOS devices, as well as several accessibility features not commonly found on other smart devices. In […]

Auditory Brainstem Implantation

According to the World Health Organization, over 5% of the world’s population experiences disabling hearing loss.  Said individuals may often receive cochlear implants, however, these implants won’t always work for everyone.  Now there is a newer technique being tested: auditory brainstem implants (or ABI). Auditory brainstem implantation can restore hearing for individuals who cannot benefit from cochlear implants.  Right now, it […]