Showing posts with label CapTel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CapTel. Show all posts

Saturday, March 08, 2008

Sprint WebCapTel and CapTel update

I have been tinkering around with the new Sprint WebCapTel since it was released this past Thursday and I for one am impressed to the point that I just want to plant a big ol’ wet one on the developer who came up with this FREE revolutionizing site! From this website, those of US who have difficulty with understanding people on the phone can now make a phone call from anywhere while reading word-for-word captions right on your web browser like Firefox :) but it works with IE, Safari and Opera.

-I kid you not!-

Its gets better, hold on to your britches kids because I haven’t even gotten started to sell this yet. All you need is a PC or Mac computer with web browser, an internet connection, and ANY working telephone that can receive calls. Yes, ANY working telephone such as your cell phone, home phone, work phone, amplified phone and even the CapTel phone! That is it! Those three things are all that is needed.

-Nuh uh-

Uh huh! I will not tell a lie! You can get started by creating a free account with them and activate it when you receive your confirmation email. Now once you are logged in, you can get started on making some phone calls. Here is the screen shot.


Under Place Call, enter the telephone number of the phone that you want to talk from like your home phone if you are home or your cell phone if you are at a hot WiFi spot or at work :) Then put the number that you want to dial and chose your preferred language and click on place call! A captioning window will come up showing that is dialing YOUR telephone number first. Once you pick up, then it will dial the number of the person you want to call! It will proceed to caption your call from there.

-No way!-


Yes way folks! There is more! In order to receive a call, you put the number you can be reached and click on “Start Waiting For Calls.” Don’t forget to tell people to dial 1-800-933-7219 and key in your number but once they do that the captioning box will come up captioning your phone call! It is a minor drawback giving out the 800 number but the fact that you don't need a special phone to use it with is a blessing!

How cool is that?! You can do this from any computer connected to the internet as long as you have a phone nearby, even wireless to wireless! You can even adjust the size and color of the font along with the background color which would help the deaf blind! I decided to use this at work because I hardly use the phone because I am afraid of screwing up a phone call but I want to use the phone because I really want to do all aspects of my job. So while I have been waiting for my CapTel phone to come at work Sprints WebCapTel enabled me to make a quite a few phone calls and for the first time, I felt confident about using the phone and its all because of Sprint. I still can't answer calls until I get the CapTel phone but something is better than nothing. They are working on adding a feature of calling extension numbers and 911 in the near future. I'm excited because it is going to help so many of US!

*curtsy*


I recently talked about how the 2-Line CapTel phone and how it helps US that have a hard time using the phone by providing word-for-word translation of the person on the other end of the phone. I am spreading the good news about this phone because I never knew about it! I had NO idea and if I had NO idea, I can only imagine how many more have NO idea that this is out there for US! They even have the CapTel USB that benefits the deaf-blind because it hooks directly up to USB port of your computer that allows the user to see the captions in large font. Many people can obtain one of these phones free or very low cost by going to this website.

Now, I have run into a minor technical snag with the 2-Line Captel phone that I received a couple weeks ago provided FREE by the state of New Jersey. In order to receive captioning on both incoming and outgoing phone calls easily and I like easy, one must have two separate phone lines that are explained by this snazzy little picture down here.

My minor technical snag is that my phone service is through Comcast Cable Digital Cable and at the moment I can only receive captioning on my outgoing calls not my incoming. Right now, the only way I can have my incoming calls captioned is to direct people to call 1-877-243-2823 (different # for Federal, California and Texas residents) and key in my home number.

*boo*

My wheels started turning since the second phone line can be a basic line, I wondered if the second line can be a digital cable FAX line with a DSL Filter. My reasoning comes from the fact that many Brother and HP fax machines are particularly fussy about their analog phone line requirement but if you have VOIP service like Vonage or Comcast a simple DSL filter will have them happily faxing to and fro in no time. I tried calling Comcast customer service to run this idea by them and they were about as helpful as a rusty under wire from my bra digging into my side. I will let you all know how this works out!

Challenge accepted Jodi
:)

Monday, January 14, 2008

Check Up, Cheerios, CapTel and Chalkboards.

The four “C’s”

Check-Up.

Last Thursday I hightailed it over to the University of Pennsylvania to see my surgeon for my three-month check up to make sure I don’t have a runway implant floating around in my head. He said everything looks great and I have healed up quite nicely. I don’t know if I mentioned this at the time I had my surgery since I was under the influence of some pretty darn good prescription narcotics :) but my surgery took a little longer then normal because he had some issues threading all the electrode in. He said the possibility of an obstruction in the cochlea prevented him from going as deep as he normally does. Obviously, it is working for me so it is not an issue. I popped the question about getting my other ear done, going bilateral with implants. Cochlear implants that is. I would not have to go through all the tests that I went through with the first one but he warned me that dealing with the insurance company to pay for another one might be my battle this time. I just have to start the proceedings, which is another blog entirely.

Cheerios.

For little such a little ring of whole grain goodness, it has a big crunch! I was talking to my friend who was snacking on dry Cheerios and the conversation went a little something like this.

“Abbie, (crunch) is Home Depot (crunch) or Lowes cheaper for (crunch) wallpaper?”

“I would say Lowes since Home Depot doesn’t carry wallpaper.” I said.

“(crunch) I thought they did. (crunch) Are you sure (crunch) they don’t?”

“Are you eating Cheerios?” I asked..

“What does that (crunch) have to do with Home Depot?” She crunched again!

“It doesn’t, but I can’t help but notice how loud the Cheerios are.”

“You can’t have any.” She pops a whole bunch in her mouth and proceeds to macerate them with her fangs.

“You know, Home Depot does carry wallpaper!” I smiled.

A few hours later, I get a nice text informing me that I’m a bleeping bleep for sending her on wild wallpaper chase.

My reply was: Cheerios! :)

Her reply: You bleep. Ahh, the love.

Captel Phones.

Deaf technology rocks my socks! My friend Joleen who lives right down the street from me showed me this nifty little gadget (by the way she is having her CI surgery on January 17, keeps you fingers crossed :) It is a phone for the deaf or hard of hearing with the biggest set of buttons that enables you to talk on the phone normally while reading almost real time captioning, word for word of what is being said on the other end of the phone. I was so amazed by the ease of how Joleen talked on the phone. She has the 2-Line Captel phone, one line is the regular house line and the second line is for the Captel operator. I requested to see if I could get one because I think this will really help me out at work. I hardly answer the phone because I have a hard time with understanding people on the phone. I remember when I first started working I had to learn how to use the phone, I answered phone call after call and I eventually got use to it. This is what I need to do now and this is the perfect thing to help me! The possibilities are endless!

Depending on what state you live in, you might be able to get it free. Here are the links to check it out

http://www.captionedtelephone.com/

This site is to check out what your state has to offer as far as CapTel phones go (some states even free!)

http://www.captionedtelephone.com/availability.phtml

Go check it out!! But after you read the rest of this post!

Chalkboards.

I had next to no clue what nails against the chalkboard sounds like but not anymore, I could never hear it. Most deaf people cannot hear it and I must say thank god for that because if what I heard today is anything close to that, I don't want to. I was always able to tell by the immediate cringe or the makeshift corking of the ear with the fingers while I sat happy as a clam twiddling my thumbs completely oblivious to the sound. My boss was pushing a baseboard heater across the floor and I am not sure what it came in contact with but it made one hell of a piercing sound that shuddered right throughout my entire body. I watched my boss stand there frozen in the famous “chalkboard” cringe. Ouchies. Word to the wise, metal on metal sounds are not the greatest sound in the world.

Heed my warning, keep a 100 yard distance from any welder!! It is just bound to sound no good!

PS: Good luck with your surgeries Sam, Amy, and Joleen! Ears are all sorts of crossed for you guys! :)