Closed-caption phones open doors for hearing-impaired

Dave Cain hasn’t been comfortable talking on the phone for years.

The 71-year-old Elgin man has had tinnitus for most of his life. The resulting loss of hearing and ringing in his ears makes it next to impossible for him to make out what’s being said over the phone.

His hearing problems have been an ongoing source of frustration and disappointment for Cain, who used to enjoy using the phone. Because of his hearing loss, he often had to hand the phone over to his wife or find an excuse to hang up quickly.

"I would cop out of phone calls," Cain said.

Cain has struggled with hearing loss for 30 years, but he’s resisted getting hearing aids or assistive technology.

"I always figured it was kind of degrading to wear hearing aids," he said.

Two months ago, Cain caved in and bought his first pair of hearing aids, only to be disappointed when they didn’t entirely fix his problems with phones. That’s when Paul Schneider, a hearing instrument specialist at Clear Wave Hearing, recommended Cain get a caption-enabled phone.

Closed-caption technology

Schneider said he has been helping people like Cain overcome hearing loss for almost two decades. In Cain’s case, Schneider was able to refer him to a service called CaptionCall, which is one of a handful of nationwide services providing caption-enabled phones to individuals with hearing loss.

CaptionCall provides patients with landline phones connected to a transcription service. Using speech-to-text software and a caller assistant who listens to the end of the conversation being sent to the CaptionCall phone, the service provides text of phone calls and voicemails. This displays on the screen in real time, so users can follow along with conversations even if they can’t hear clearly.

"Now everything is right there in front of me," Cain said of his CaptionCall phone. "It’s spelled right out in front of me."

CaptionCall phones also have volume controls and can be set well above standard volumes to provide additional clarity. This is another feature Cain uses, allowing him to hear the phone throughout the house as well as improving his comprehension.

Cain has only had his phone for a month, but already he can’t say enough about the freedom the device gives him to communicate.

"It’s just awesome," he said. "I wish I would have had this 30 years ago when I started having hearing problems."

Getting the phone

Caption-enabled phones are available to patients with any kind of hearing loss, and most caption-enabled phones are provided at no cost to the patient. The cost of the phones is covered by the Telecommunication Relay Service under the Federal Communications Commission.

According to David Johnson, an accounts manager with CaptionCall, the TRS is funded by a surcharge attached to phone bills. The surcharge, which Johnson says is only about six cents, allows companies like CaptionCall to provide their services without it costing patients a dime.

"Sometimes that’s our number one reason why people don’t get the phone," Johnson said. "They don’t believe that it’s free."

Besides providing phone units free of charge, CaptionCall also installs and repair their units, and will teach patients how to use them. This is also covered by the TSR fund.

"There’s never a charge for the patient ever for anything," Johnson said.

The need for captions

According to Schneider, phones like CaptionCall are most helpful for those with mid-range frequency hearing loss, which causes diminished comprehension of sounds between 500 and 3000 hertz.

Since phone speakers fall within that range, people with mid-range hearing loss often lose clarity over the phone until words become indistinguishable. Between the closed captions and amplified volume, CaptionCall and other specialized phones can help most users overcome that barrier.

The struggle with phone comprehension is common among Schneider’s clients, but he makes only two or three CaptionCall referrals per month.

The barrier for some, he said, is that the phones use landlines, which aren’t desirable for baby boomers accustomed to cell phones. CaptionCall phones also require access to high-speed Internet, which can be another obstacle.

But the biggest obstacle, Schneider says, is that advances in hearing aid technology advances often eliminate the need for a captioning product. Instead, Bluetooth and wireless technology allow individuals to sync their cell phones and hearing aids to adapt to hearing problems.

However in Cain’s case, he didn’t have a smartphone and didn’t want to upgrade. Since his Elgin home was already equipped with a landline and the necessary Internet coverage, getting CaptionCall was his best option.

Cain said the phone has enhanced his life, letting him talk to and understand people he hasn’t been able to hear for years.

"If I could convey one message, it’s if you are experiencing hearing loss, you’re losing out on a lot of things," Cain said.