June 17, 2005
Broadband could help deaf people make phone calls
Communication channels for the disabled often lag behind those created with mainstream users in mind, reports Hearing Loss News and Reviews.
"Advocacy groups for the deaf community tried to convince policymakers Thursday that high-speed, cable connections could benefit everyone - if they were more affordable and more accessible. They want the federal government to help pay for the system.
Frank G. Bowe, author of the new report "Broadband and Americans with Disabilities," demonstrated how high-speed, cable connections - or broadband - would work. Bowe, who is deaf but reads lips well, made a direct call for the first time to his secretary at Hofstra University in New York.
"We have never done this before," Bowe said. "For the first time, we will not be communicating with text, I will be able to see her expressions over the phone." Bowe spoke, and she used a sign-language interpreter to reply.
Deaf people - estimated at about 28 million in the United States - have limited options when it comes to communicating with people far away. And even though the Internet has extended the ability for instant communication, Bowe argued that offering real-time, visual interaction will help the disabled feel more a part of society.
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