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applepackard

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Original poster
Jun 27, 2012
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Hello. Does anyone know what advancements have been made to OS X Mountain Lion that allow use of a Telecoil in most hearing aids for the deaf? I am anxious to know the specifics.
 
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Mike Boreham

macrumors 68040
Aug 10, 2006
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Hello. Does anyone know what advancements have been made to OS X Mountain Lion that allow use of a Telecoil in most hearing aids for the deaf? I am anxious to know the specifics.

I have a Bellman Domino Pro system. Using just the neck loop plugged into the headphone socket means the sound is played through the loop system to my hearing aids set on Telecoil of course.

The Domino Pro is top end, and is useful in a great many other situations and configurations. If you just want the loop bit you can buy it for about £40. Don't know how much you know about all this, but the Domino Pro system has changed my life.

Best place to buy this stuff is Action on Hearing Loss. Used to be called RNID.
 
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old-wiz

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Mar 26, 2008
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I have a Bellman Domino Pro system. Using just the neck loop plugged into the headphone socket means the sound is played through the loop system to my hearing aids set on Telecoil of course.

The Domino Pro is top end, and is useful in a great many other situations and configurations. If you just want the loop bit you can buy it for about £40. Don't know how much you know about all this, but the Domino Pro system has changed my life.

Best place to buy this stuff is Action on Hearing Loss. Used to be called RNID.


But how is this related to Mountain Lion, or even OSx for that matter???
 

Mike Boreham

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Aug 10, 2006
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But how is this related to Mountain Lion, or even OSx for that matter???

Well pretty obviously not! Sorry to go slightly off topic. Basically I was agreeing with you, hearing aid induction loops and telecoils are hardware issues and I don't see how Mountain Lion or any other software is going to interact with hearing aids via the telecoil. Maybe I will be pleasantly surprised when ML is released.

There might be benefits in Accessibility for hearing impaired people via alerts or subtitles or something, and I think Apple claims compatibility for iPhones as in not causing interference.

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I think you need to watch the Keynote again. Hearing Aid compatibility is one of the new accessibility features they announced.

I agree, there must be some basis for the Keynote comment, so I am intrigued, but can't believe it can use the telecoils.

Can't find anything with Google, except references to iPhones and hearing aids.
 

negativzero

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Jul 19, 2011
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Gonna hijack this a little. I'm not hearing impaired or anything but I'm just curious, how do hearing impaired people use computers? Isn't the hearing aid enough? I know visually handicapped people have that reader thing but do hearing impaired people need audio enhancements to the OS?
 

Mike Boreham

macrumors 68040
Aug 10, 2006
3,913
1,896
UK
Gonna hijack this a little. I'm not hearing impaired or anything but I'm just curious, how do hearing impaired people use computers? Isn't the hearing aid enough? I know visually handicapped people have that reader thing but do hearing impaired people need audio enhancements to the OS?

Depends on your degree of hearing loss. Hearing aids help a lot but do not restore normal hearing. Plugging my loop into the computer and having the sound transmit directly to my hearing aids is much clearer than hearing though the speakers. Headphones in combination with hearing aids is not comfortable (depends on type of aid).

I don't see that the OS can can provide audio enhancements for hearing impaired people, except via subtitles and alerts, but I am open to being pleasantly surprised.
 
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old-wiz

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Mar 26, 2008
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I think you need to watch the Keynote again. Hearing Aid compatibility is one of the new accessibility features they announced.

OSx does not need hearing aid compatibility. There might be something in the iPhone, which is where you would want telecoil.

----------

Gonna hijack this a little. I'm not hearing impaired or anything but I'm just curious, how do hearing impaired people use computers? Isn't the hearing aid enough? I know visually handicapped people have that reader thing but do hearing impaired people need audio enhancements to the OS?

Seriously? You do not need any hearing to use computers. I have bilateral cochlear implants, and with them off I am deaf as a stone, but still perfectly capable of using computers.

Telecoil capability is built into the hearing aids at the receiver.
 
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applepackard

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 27, 2012
12
2
In regards to this subject on OS X ML & Telecoils

A brief tidbit was mentioned at the WWDC. I was there. We are waiting to hear more. Apple is trying to reach out more to Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/HOH) people, as well as other people with disabilities. It is a challenge.

For those of you who do not know anything about D/HOH people wonder what this topic has to do with OS X and Mountain Lion, it is all about software. Blackberry for the longest time has had telecoil accessability in there devices. For those who do not know--texting began wide spread use with the D/HOH population. It was a rough ride, then it caught on with the hearing population and BOOM it was everywhere. It is technology that opened the world for many deaf people. And some of that applause is due to Apple software and other developers who were at the WWDC to work on this issue of accessibility. :apple:
 
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