If you have a family member or friend who is experiencing hearing loss, and that person is finding it difficult to carry on a phone conversation, then consider trying a phone captioning app called Olelo. Olelo helps people with hearing loss by captioning in real time every word as it’s spoken during a phone conversation.
The app is available for iOS and Android users, and it is free to use for qualified users with hearing loss. Olelo uses Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS) which is a form of telecommunications relay service (TRS) that permits an individual who can speak, but who has difficulty hearing, to use a phone to simultaneously listen to the other party and read captions of what the other party is saying. Unlike some services that use live transcriptionists, Olelo uses voice recognition technology to automatically transcribe spoken words into text. An IP CTS Consumer Guide describes the technology in more detail.
The FCC IP CTS program has a mandate to ensure functionally-equivalent phone service for the deaf and hard-of-hearing and compensates Olelo for the services they offer, thereby allowing Olelo to be used for free. Olelo provides answers to frequently asked questions, so check it out if you think it could help someone with hearing loss.
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