Signal Aids for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Think of all the sounds you depend on on every day. Telephones, doorbells, and alarms are most likely the first things you think of. These signal a call, someone arriving, and even tell you when to wake up! Now imagine you cannot hear the phone, or a doorbell, or even your morning alarm.

What do people in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community use in place of these sound-centered indicators? Videophones allow two signers to communicate through a video instead of verbally, and text messages have created accessibility to the Deaf community. Nearly every phone has a “vibrate” setting that alerts to you a call or message through vibration instead of sound. For the Deaf, doorbells are often hooked up to certain lights around a home, which will flash when the doorbell is rung. Morning alarms can be one of the most important pieces of your day. Pillow and bed vibrating pads can hook up to alarm clocks that use vibration in lieu of a sound. There are also strobe light alarms which use bright lights in lieu of a sound, to wake a Deaf person. The Deaf world has created their own way of working around many systems that have been created using sound!