Sign language is a well known communication alternative for the deaf and hard of hearing, but other options are available, too -- many made possible through technological advances. Depending on your situation, you can use different forms of communication to achieve the success you seek.
Sign Language
American Sign Language, or ASL, is a complete form of communication, according to the National Institutes of Health. Thoughts and ideas are transmitted through hand signs, facial expressions and body movement. ASL isn't the only kind of sign language, different forms such as British and French sign languages are used throughout the world.
Communication Access Real-Time Translation
Communication Access Real-Time Translation, or CART, provides another form of communication, according to the University of Illinois at Chicago. As words are spoken, a CART provider, or translator, types them on a computer for a deaf or hearing-impaired person to read. The words can appear on the computer screen, or they can be projected onto a larger surface. The Colorado Commission for the Deaf reports CART services are helpful in group situations such as meetings, classes and court proceedings.
Assistive Listening Devices
Technology aids the deaf and hard of hearing in many ways, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Assistive listening devices, or ALDs, help people hear better in cases of background noise or bad acoustics. ALDs include personal frequency modulation systems in which the speaker has a special microphone and the listener has a receiver that improves the sound relay. Another ADL transmits sounds through infrared light waves. These systems are often used in large spaces such as classrooms, churches and theaters.
Visual Systems
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Asso. reports visual systems can also aid communication. With text telephones, phone conversations are typed instead of spoken. Closed-captioning TV displays text representing spoken conversation, and computerized speech recognition converts a spoken message into a word document.
Picture Dictionaries
Deaf children with mild intellectual disabilities communicate well with picture dictionaries, according to the Communication Disorders Quarterly. With this user-friendly, nontechnological alternative, students make use of the pictures to initiate communication and make requests.
References
- Colorado Commission for the Deaf: Communication Access Real-Time Translation
- University of Illinois at Chicago: Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services
- Communication Disorders Quarterly: Use of Picture Dictionaries to Promote Functional Communication
- National Institutes of Health: American Sign Language
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Asso.: Hearing Assistive Technology
