The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : A handy tool for the hearing impaired

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 29, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

A handy tool for the hearing impaired

Vidyashree Amaresh

`A videophone will make communication complete as the caller will be visible to the receiver and they can communicate directly in their mother tongue'

Bangalore: Hearing impaired persons in the city may soon have access to videophones to make calls.

The hearing impaired person will be in visual contact with a sign language interpreter via a webcam or videophone. The interpreter relays hearing impaired person's conversation using a telephone and translates the response from the receiver into sign language.

Text messaging

"The text messaging services in cell phones have been a convenient mode of communication. Cell phone operators offer SMS service at a concessional cost. But communication has not been effective because written English for the hearing impaired is not good, and it takes a long time for them to think in English and then key it in. A videophone will make communication complete as the caller will be visible to the receiver and they can communicate directly in their "mother tongue" which is the sign language. Hearing impaired persons learn sign language as a first language. Standard written or spoken language is "very much a second language," says P. Murali Kumar of the Association of the Deaf (South India).

It is also essential that service providers who relay messages through the videophone should make this facility available at a reasonable cost.

"The Government should take up such an initiative for the benefit of hearing impaired persons as there are no technical or economic impediments that could probably stall the launch of such a facility. This will provide access to such persons and keep them connected with their fraternity," says Manorama, a social activist.

The existing text mode facility, which is used by hearing impaired persons, is impersonal to use and is about six times slower than verbal communication.

According to Maria D' Souza, a videophone facility will make conversations a pleasure for a hearing impaired person.

Expressing emotions

"I can express my emotions more easily through sign language. The visual phone enables hearing impaired persons to see the interpreter and communicate live. There is an increased understanding and a depth in conversations with these phones. English is often a second language for hearing impaired persons, and it takes a fairly long time to learn to communicate effectively. Using appropriate words to express emotions has often been a challenge," she says. Videophones are much faster and more natural and there is total conversation," she says.

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