Captioned phones: What are they and how do they work?

What is a captioned phone?

A closed captioned phone is a wireless or wired phone that allows people who have mild to profound hearing loss continue to be able to use the phone. The phones display what the person on the other end of the line is saying as text on the screen, so the hearing impaired person can read it as text.

Wired captioned phones connect to the internet with an ethernet cable, while the wireless ones can connect to the internet wirelessly via WiFi. The latest advanced offer captioned phones that operate without any WiFi as well. Captioned phones are designed to be easy to use and have features such as large text options, audio you can customize, captioned voicemail, and even hearing-aid compatibility.

How does call captioning work?

A captioned phone uses Captioned Telephone Services (CTS) and has a built-in screen to display real-time text captions. These services enable the person using CTS to speak to the person on the other end of the line and read captions of what that person is saying at the same time.

There is also a trained communication assistant (CA) who can repeat anything said by the person on the other end of the line to the person who is hearing impaired. This process uses speech recognition technology to automatically transcribe the assistant’s voice into text captions, which are then displayed on the phone’s screen.

Benefits of captioned phones

There are several benefits to captioned phones to users, ranging from making calls easier to improving quality of life. They also have higher ring volume options than traditional phones to help reduce missed calls due to hearing loss.

• Easier phone calls – Often, those with mild to moderate types of hearing loss spend much of their time during calls asking to repeat things they didn’t hear. This disrupts the normal flow of conversation, and can be frustrating for the person on each end of the phone line. However, a captioned phone lets the user easily check what they think they heard with the words they see on the screen so they can move on to their next thought.
  
• Word recognition – A caption phone can deliver the text of phone conversations to its user, which helps them with general word recognition and associations. This means that it helps train their brain to recognize the new way they hear words with their hearing impairment, which can help them with their in-person conversations, too.
  
• Less “listening fatigue” – Because of how hearing works, when a person has some level of hearing loss, the brain must work much harder to make sense of information it receives from the ear. This can be exhausting, especially for longer or fast-paced conversations. With captioned phones, the user can listen with ease and glance down only when they hear a word they don’t immediately recognize.
  
• Accurate information – When someone has hearing loss, they may sometimes think they’ve heard something correctly when, in fact, they haven’t. This can lead to confusion, overlooked details, or responding in a way that doesn’t match up to what the other person is saying. Being able to reference the words on the screen help get the right information across, and even help the user commit details to memory by adding a visual reference to what is being shared with them.

How to get a captioned phone

It’s actually fairly easy to get a captioned phone, especially if you have the right documents. Often, these phones are even free to the user. There are several ways to get a free captioned phone through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

One way is to register with a provider, certify with documents that you have hearing loss, or provide professional certification (if needed) by your healthcare provider. It depends on your state’s requirements, but often, you simply need to have a level of hearing loss that makes it difficult to use a conventional phone.

Let your audiologist know you are interested. They will perform a hearing test and can send the results and certification to the captioned phone provider who will reach out  to schedule installation at the patient’s convenience

You may be able to get a CapTel phone for free or at a reduced rate through your state’s Equipment Distribution Program, or with certification from your doctor or audiologist. The FCC also offers Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) at no cost to users. TRS provides the communications assistants who facilitate calls between people who are deaf, have hearing loss, or may have speech disabilities.

Captioned phone types & apps

Captioned phone brands

Here are several of the top captioned phone brands. These ones provide affordable and easy-to-use devices with a variety of features tailored to those with hearing loss:

• ClearCaptions – ClearCaptions is available to U.S. residents with hearing loss at no cost, due to provisions made under Title IV of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). ClearCaptions is available as a home phone or mobile app.
• CaptionCall – Also at no cost, CaptionCall phones let the user customize features or simply pick up the phone and talk. It works just like a standard phone, except it includes a large interactive screen for its real-time text captioning. Voicemails are also visible on-screen, and their team installs the device for free.
• CapTel – CapTel offers similar options to ClearCaptions and CaptionCall, and also has several models of their phone to fit your preferences and lifestyle.

Another option is to use a captioned phone app on your existing phone. Here are several of the top captioning apps:

• CaptionCall by Sorenson – Using CaptionCall Mobile looks just like a typical mobile call with speakerphone. Captions appear instantly for natural conversation with no lag, and the app uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) so conversations are completely private.
• InnoCaption – InnoCaption has an automated assistant as well as a human assistant for calls. You can also utilize features like responding to phone calls with a text-to-speech option, additional language, and captioning your side of the conversation using AI.
• CaptionMate – CaptionMate works on smartphones, tablets and landlines. Its AI captioning features boast accuracy that doesn’t require the use of an assistant. It offers captioning in over 100 languages.

To get started with acquiring your own captioned phone, you can visit the links above. You can also identify your local CTS provider or find contact information for the Relay Services Administrator within your state on the TRS website.