Clear2Connect Coalition Establishes Free Service for Hearing Impaired

​HCAOA is a proud member of the Clear2Connect Coalition, which is comprised of disability advocacy and Veterans Service Organizations, and advocates on behalf of the deaf and hard of hearing communities to have access to quality, accurate communication technology. The Coalition recently worked with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to publish a blog post educating about captioned telephone service as an assistive technology option to facilitate access to communication.

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Veterans and others with hearing loss can receive free assistive technology for captioned telephone service from participating providers on their home phones, mobile phones and other communication apps. Real-time transcriptions of communication are a vital service for those who rely on their phones to stay connected with family and friends, and to communicate with health care professionals and emergency responders. Veterans of all ages can benefit from captioned telephone service, as they are disproportionately affected by hearing loss. Hearing loss is not just due to degeneration from aging; Veterans are 30% more likely than non-Veterans to have a hearing impairment.

Captioned telephone service enables people with hearing loss to speak during a phone call and then read the other person’s response in real time as transcriptions appear directly on their telephone or an app.

Read more here.