Signing Santa
Program allows deaf children to communicate directly with Santa

Deaf Santa visits Kansas School for the Deaf visiting with deaf children and using sign language to communicate with children their wishes for Christmas.

My grandmother, a college graduate and former reference librarian, recently walked out of an electronics store in frustration. She compared the techie conversations that were going on around her with people speaking in a different language. And she isn’t alone.

Though it isn’t always obvious, the technology industry sees senior citizens as a target demographic — especially where cellphones are concerned. Mobile phones could act as valuable lifelines in health-related situations and, at the very least, provide an easier way for relatives to keep in touch. Major cellphone carriers offer models that they say are easier for seniors to use thanks to big buttons and large screen fonts. But some companies go a step further. GreatCall Inc., for example, designed its Jitterbug cellphone specifically to appeal to non-techies, including — but not limited to — senior citizens. It shirks phone extras like Internet access for simplicity and includes a concierge service that does things like remotely adding numbers to the phone so users don’t have to do it.

This week, I took a look at a cellphone that was designed specifically for senior citizens: the ClarityLife C900. It’s the first cellphone from Clarity (clarityproducts.com), a division of Plantronics Inc. that specializes in telephony (landlines and other products) for people with hearing loss. The cellphone incorporates features that are useful for someone who may be hard of hearing or using a hearing aid.

The C900 is a bulky slider phone with a top half that slides up, revealing a number keypad below; number keys each measure a half-inch square. This might be a deterrent for seniors who want their phone to look hip or slip easily into a pocket. But Clarity says the phone’s deliberately large size makes it easier to hold and use, and accommodates a roomy 2.5-inch screen.

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Clarity C900

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WSJ.com

Caution! Do not plug the CapTel into any telephone line other than a standard, analog telephone line, DSL line or an analog port. Connection to an office-type digital telephone network may damage the CapTel or the telephone system and will void the warranty. To be certain of what type of phone line works, see chart below.

To use CapTel in a home or office that has a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), you must connect to a DSL filter. The filter eliminates interference to and from the CapTel phone, allowing it to share the same line as the DSL service. Fax machines and answering machines also require DSL filters to work in a DSL environment.

Without a filter, line noises from the DSL service – such as echoes or static – can be picked up by the CapTel phone, resulting in connection problems.

The DSL filter is usually a small rectangular device that has connectors on both ends. You simply unplug the telephone line from the wall jack, insert the filter into the jack, then plug the telephone line into the filter. Typically, you’d install DSL filters on every telephone, fax machine, etc., in your home, leaving the DSL computer modem as the only unfiltered device.

We will no longer be carrying the Crystal Tone Plus Telephone. The following products are alternative options to offer your customer.

Clarity XL-50

Your first option is the Clarity XL-50. This unit has been upgraded to 60dB. It has 11 memory dials, a bright visual ringer, a ringer that can go up to 95dB and tone control. You can default the boost to on or off. The buttons are backlit when you pick up the handset.

Serene Innovation HD-60

Another comparable telephone is the Serene Innovation HD-60. This unit goes up to 55dB, has 12 memory dials, a 95dB ringer, a bright visual ringer and tone control. On the bottom of the unit you can choose a default so the boost will automatically be on when you pick the phone up. There is also a visual alert and loud warning if the phone is not hung up completely.

Serene Innovation HD-60J

The third option is the Serene Innovations HD-60J. This unit has jumbo buttons for anyone visually impaired. It goes up to 55dB, has a 95 dB loud ringer as well as 2 visual ringers. There is tone control and 3 one touch memory buttons as well as 10 two touch memory dials. It has a loud and a visual warning if the phone is not hung up completely. There is a default button on the bottom of the unit that allows you to leave the boost on when you hang up if you choose.

Fanstel Model ST150

Fourth option is one of the new Fanstel phones Model ST150. This phone amplifies up to 50dB, and has a conference grade speakerphone. It digitally adjusts frequency-specific volume levels so that any user, especially those exposed to harsh noisy environments, can comfortably and clearly hear a caller’s voice. It boasts highly flexible sound settings: incoming voices may be amplified by up to 50 dB with extra amplification for high frequencies. This level of amplification has been tuned to more effectively restore the perception of many phonemic distinctions common in speech than competing models. It has a 2.5mm & RJ22 Headset jack, and a large backlit LCD.

CapTel President Robert Engelke and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett at a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open the new CapTel call center in downtown Milwaukee, WI, in May 2007. They are joined by Milwaukee Alderman Robert Bauman, WI Deputy Secretary of Commerce Aaron Olver, WI Secretary of Administration Michael Morgan, along with other officials and CapTel representatives.