Modern technology aids communication augmentation.
- By:Ken Wilson
Modern technology has had a considerable contribution to communication augmentation. Today various types of communication aid devices exist to match individual skills, needs, and problems of those with communication disabilities. New and enhanced TTY phones have also been developed to meet the needs of people with hearing or speech disabilities.
All of us use the concept of communication augmentation frequently in our every day life. Gesturing and pointing at an object may help express ourselves in a noisy surrounding or when speaking in a foreign language. Some of us however depend on it all the time. A person with communication difficulty depends on methods of augmentative and alternative communication to overcome their disability.
Communication aids are devices that serve as means to complete or replace speech for those with severe communication impairments. They have been developed for those who cannot benefit from other methods of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Gesture and body language, manual sign or handwriting may be inaccessible and difficult to perform and may sometimes prove inadequate to meet all communication needs.
There are various types of communication aid devices to match individual skills, needs, and problems. These devices can be used in a wide range of purposes and locations: schools, colleges and higher education, hospital and family or residential homes. Their main utility is to enhance interpersonal interaction, which will facilitate social integration and education.
Technological advances have widened the range of communication options to those with different types of communication impairment. Various types of communication aids are now accessible to suit particular situations. There are portable light communicators, but also high tech laptop computers.
Among the most used communication aids, there are different types of communicators (BIGmack® Communicator, BIG Step-by-Step Communicator), pads and cards. They use either graphic symbols or recorded messages facilitate communication. More types of communication aids, together with information and online purchasing is available on the ILT (Independent Living Technologies) site.
TTY phones or telephone typewriters are also some of the devices that come to meet the needs of people with communication disabilities. They were fortunately developed to help text communication via a telephone line for patients with hearing or speech disabilities. Also called telecommunications devices for the deaf (TDD), TTY phones are available with various enhancements: graphic display, pocket size, VTouch (for Braille-TTY phone) and printers.
Since their discovery in 1964 TTY phones have been used mainly for making phone calls to regular telephone users. Newer applications for these types of phones include: short message service (SMS), Internet relay chat (IRC) and instant messaging.
Fortunately, modern technology has found its way into communication augmentation. Latest discoveries in communication aids and new, enhanced TTY phones facilitate social integration and education of those with communication disabilities.About the author:
Please visit our website to purchase TTY phones and other types of communication aids, devices which will help people with disabilities lead a normal life.