Teaching Students with Sensory Impairments
Technology and Medical Interventions
Dolly Bhargava, M. Spec. Ed.
VII. Devices for Environmental Sounds
In writing this section I consulted with and appreciated the input from
Margaret Haenke, Manager of Deafness Resources Australia.
www.deafnessresources.net.au
A. What are Devices for Environmental Sounds?
The telephone ringing, alarm clocks, smoke or fire alarms are sounds that alert
people to daily life occurrences. Many devices have been designed to assist
students with hearing impairments become aware of the sounds in the
environment that are needed for personal safety or convenience (Meier, 1999).
These devices help compensate for the student’s hearing impairment, allowing
for a greater sense of confidence, independence and control of the environment.
Varying in their level of sophistication and complexity, there are many alerting
products available on the market today to help students with hearing
impairments.
A-1. Alarm clocks
Flashing alarm clock



Vibrating alarm clock: It is a clock that has a vibrating device, which can
be clipped onto the pillowcase or a section of a bed or the entire bed. At
the chosen time, the clock activates the alarm signal, which in turn causes
the vibrator to move the attached section, thus awakening the sleeper.
Flashing alarm clock: It is a clock that has a bright light, which will flash
when the alarm goes off.
Combination alarm clock: It has a combination of both the vibrating and
flashing light features.
(Meier, 1999)
A-2. Alarm watches

Vibrating alarm watch: The wristwatch vibrates when the alarm goes off.
Vibrating alarm watch
These watches are generally used as reminder tools during the daytime,
as they are usually not strong enough to wake someone from sleep.
Some alarm watches may have an automatic reload countdown timer,
which gives reminders as often as needed.
A-3. School bells, Smoke or Fire Alarms
 Schools should have a flashing light system linked to the smoke or fire
alarms and other bells/sound systems to visually alert the student with
hearing impairment. These systems should be visible in classrooms and
in general areas where the student maybe alone, such as rest rooms or
study carrels (Gloucestershire Country Council, 2004). It is important to
note that if a flashing light alert system is used for both the school bell and
smoke/evacuation alarms, it is critical that these flashing light alert
systems be distinctly different to each other. If the smoke/evacuation alert
goes off, it is crucial that the student respond immediately and that there is
no danger of ignoring the flashing light thinking that it’s ‘just the school
bell’.
A-4. Telephones
Telephones - Hearing the telephone ring


Ring Enhancers: A device that allows the
student with hearing impairment to set the
volume of the ring to much louder levels
than ordinary telephones (Meier, 1999).
Telephone Light Flashers: A light is fitted
into the telephone that flashes whenever
Audio-visual Telephone alert
the telephone rings. This is generally a
fairly small light and the student would need to have the telephone in view
for this to be effective. Alternatively, the telephone can be connected to an
external system to make lights flash throughout the room or the building.
Telephones – Communicating using the telephone



T-switch – alternatively also known as a telecoil. It is a coil of wire, which
has the capacity to pick up sound directly from a magnetic field created
when sound is fed into the coil. Many telephones can output a magnetic
signal which hearing aids with a telecoil can "hear." If the hearing aid or
cochlear implant has a T-switch, then it only responds to those sounds
coming from the telephone so unwanted and distracting background
noises are not picked up (SHHH, 2004).
In-built amplifier – a telephone that has an in-built amplifier and an
adjustable volume control that the student can use to make the caller’s
voice louder to compensate for the hearing loss (Downie, 2000).
Portable amplifier – a battery-powered amplifier which slips over the
handset ear piece.
Photo of a portable telephone amplifier
courtesy of Deafness Resource Australia
www.deafnessresources.net.au
The student can adjust the volume to suit individual needs. It is
convenient if using several different phones, however, it may not work on
all telephones or make the volume as loud as some students may need it
to be (Dugan, 2003).

TeleTypewriter (TTY) also known as a Textphone: If neither the T-switch
nor the amplification allows the student to communicate well on the
telephone, a TTY may be a better option (Dugan, 2003). A TTY unit
consists of a QWERTY keyboard, visual display screen and acoustic
coupler. The acoustic coupler is two upward facing rubber cups – one for
the mouthpiece and one for the earpiece of the telephone handset
(Downie, 2000). Some TTYs also have a ‘direct connect’ option whereby
the TTY can be plugged directly into the telephone outlet, rather than
using the acoustic coupling option. When a TTY calls another TTY, the
users send their message by typing what they want to say and the words
appear on the digital display of the other person’s TTY. Some TTYs also
allow the user the option to print the conversation on a piece of paper
(Meier, 1999). If someone who needs to use a TTY wishes to make a call
to someone who doesn’t have a TTY (or vice versa), then the call can be
made through the Telecommunication Relay Service, as known in USA, or
the National Relay Service in Australia.
Photo of a TTY courtesy of Deafness

Telecommunication Relay Service – The Telecommunications Relay
Service provides telephone access service to people who have a hearing
impairment or severe speech impairment. Relay Officers, who are
specially trained communication assistants, serve as intermediaries,
relaying conversations between the person using the TTY and the person
without a TTY. For example, students with hearing impairment use the
TTY to type what they want to say to the person they are calling. The
Relay Officer reads this text communication and simultaneously reads it
aloud to the person at the other end of the call. The Relay officer listens to
the response and types it back to the student to read and respond
(Downie, 2000; Dugan, 2003).
A-5. Mobile Phones
There are many factors which impact on a Deaf person’s or person with hearing
impairment’s ability to successfully use a mobile phone, so it is important to
choose carefully in terms of the following features:

Mobile networks (e.g. CDMA or GSM). People with a hearing aid may
experience an interfering noise when using a mobile phone. It can be a
buzzing sound that makes speech hard to understand. In severe cases, it can
make the phone unusable. Possible solutions to this problem include:


Use a CDMA mobile phone
If using a GSM mobile phone, use it with a T-link attachment and switch the
hearing aid to the 'T’ position.
Photo of a T-link for a mobile phone
courtesy of Deafness Resource
Australia
www.deafnessresources.net.au



Use an alerting system for incoming calls (e.g. flashing screen or vibrating
alert)
Use the text messaging or short messaging service (SMS) feature, although
there may be restrictions on the length of the message (number of
characters) that can be sent
These use the built-in QWERTY keyboard or can be attached to the mobile.
(Downie, 2000; Dugan, 2003)