How does hearing loss change you?

So others have mentioned, you should definitely try InnoCaption. It’s a free service paid for by the federal government if you have hearing loss. It makes a huge difference in your ability to use a phone. You don’t need to get a new number because you can set it to forward your incoming calls to your InnoCaption line. And it shows captions almost instantly as well as providing audio church can be speaker amplified or via hearing aid Bluetooth if you have that capability. The other thing you can do is download transcribe to your phone and hold it or place on a table near you. It offers speech to text translation and I find it incredibly helpful. No , it’s not the same as being able to hear but these 2 apps can definitely lower the stress and energy drain caused by hearing loss

I had InnoCaption but found out that in the apartment I live in I couldn't use it. We have a call box to enter the property and the buildings. It would not work with the call forwarding. So I had to get rid of it.

No one can understand severe hearing loss until they experience it. An example people ask if i will learn sign language. I don't know any deaf people!

Suggesting we learn ASL (American Sign Language) is a statement often made by people. They think it's a cool solution. ASL is a wonderful tool for people who are culturally Deaf. For the large majority of people who have varying degrees of hearing loss it is not a solution. ASL is a language just like other language. In order to use or benefit from it, you have to associate with others who use it. That just isn't a reality for the 40+ million Americans who lose hearing after they acquire language. Who would we communicate with?

Most people with acquired hearing loss, regardless of the severity, want to remain in the hearing mainstream. That is why advancements in hearing technology are so important. That is also why people with hearing loss need to open their minds to learning all they can about how that technology works and how it might help them. We have a responsibility to advocate for better technology, the availability of that technology, and acceptance of the usage of it.

Unfortunately, age old stigmas about hearing loss often prevent people from getting and using the help that is available. Some of this wonderful technology shows. Some of it we have to expose our unique need by asking for it.

Don't hide your hearing loss. Learn about it. Talk about it. Get involved in advocacy and take every opportunity you have to educate other people about how to help you participate in life.

Do you know that 'communication access' is defined and mandated by the American's with Disabilities Act? Do you know that it does not have to be provided if people don't request it? It is not automatic like curb cuts. And, even when requested, venues often don't have it available. We who need this kind of access have to be the educators and advocates. Are you willing to do that?

Go to Google and ask: What is InnoCaption? Some helpful information will come up.

I use InnoCaption on my iPhone. It allows me to read
speech to text on my iPhone. It’s a free service that has changed my ability to communicate on a phone call.
Before I got InnoCaption, I was unable to understand anything on a phone call. I highly recommend it.

Thanks for sharing your experience with it. I will look into it and share with my friend who is also struggling with talking on her iPhone.
Best wishes
Lynne

I use CaptionCall, previously known as Olelo, another free text to speech app for the phone which uses AI and has been life changing for me. At the Dr I use the Otto app for speech to text communication and it saves the conversation for a period of time. Also very helpful.

I use CaptionCall, previously known as Olelo, another free text to speech app for the phone which uses AI and has been life changing for me. At the Dr I use the Otto app for speech to text communication and it saves the conversation for a period of time. Also very helpful.