Dana

Dana is 35 years of age and has a significant sensorineural hearing loss.  She uses a text messenger with voice capabilities, which she uses for instant-messaging with deaf friends and for talking with others.

Dana now uses a text messenger with voice capabilities, which she found through a website specifically for deaf wireless customers.  She can use instant-messaging with deaf friends and talk with others.  Since her carrier doesn’t offer a data-only plan, she pays for voice service anyway, and she appreciates the ability to get the emotional content and intonation that doesn’t carry through with text messaging.  Dana uses video relay services for interpretation at work and meetings, for this same reason.

Dana especially appreciates the vibrating alarm on her text messenger when she travels:  It’s so powerful that she can use it as an alarm clock under her mattress.  After the 2005 hurricanes, she is more conscious of access to emergency alerts, especially when traveling through “dead spots”.  She explains, “Looking up and seeing dark clouds is one thing – knowing what’s coming and the safe places to go is another”.

The most important mobile phone features to Dana include:

·         Hearing aid compatibility

·         Both voice and text messaging

·         Access to emergency alerts

·         Locator service and medical information for emergencies

·         Vibrating alarm

·         Ability to turn off the display to further reduce hearing aid interference

·         Ability to switch to voice carry-over during a call (if voice becomes unintelligible or environmental noise becomes too great)