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if 7 7 1 stouffville suntribune saftwfay march 3 2007 1 1 hearing society makes life easier for deaf byteresa latchford staff writer its the middle of the night a crackle from behind the stove turns out to be the beginning of an electri cal fire the smoke wafts toward the fire alarm caus ing the device to wail in an effort to alert everyone in the house to promptly escape most feel confident the alarm would wake them from a dead sleep but what if you couldnt hear the alarm this is one challenge among many the deaf and hard of hearing face every day gilbert lillie newmar ket resident and support services counsellor with the york region canadian hearing society was born deaf and knows what it is like to have difficulty with everyday tasks when the hearing got cellphones we were very jealous but now we have our pagers it puts us on par with the regular world if the phone rings or someone knocks on the door i dont know they are there he signed as sandra fox his interpreter trans lated in the past there was no accessibility or technologi cal devices for the deaf his mother who is also deaf used to sleep with her hand on his chest to feel the vibration of his cries as an infant but technology has come a long way to help make the deaf and hard of hearing live more inde pendent lives technical devices such as alert masters have fire alarms hardwired into the home which flash an extremely bright strobe light when activated and a pager to be clipped on a belt that vibrates and flashes to indicate if the phone or doorbell is ring ing or if your infant is cry ing alerting the person wearing it has made living solo possible for those with a hearing impair ment text telephones known as ttys where the phone receiver is set on top or plugged into the device that translates voice into text and allows the user to type a response on the key board have gone from the size of a large typewriter to the size of a laptop which can be easily transported in a small bag or purse however with ameri can sign language being the deafs first language and english being their second many miscommu- nications happen in the translation process to eliminate these types of errors dlink has come out with a video phone that hooks into the televi sion so people can sign to each other without having to think of the correct eng lish word to type to com municate now the tty is becom ing outdated as email has gained popularity and text pagers have become the new addiction of users much like the blackberry when the hearing got cellphones we were very jealous mr lillie said with a laugh but now we have our pagers it puts us on par with the regular world but even with the devel opment of this technology there is still a long way to go when it comes to pro viding accessibility to this portion of the population although home life has improved dramatically tasks that need to be done outside the home still present barriers accessibility isnt a choice its a must he said its a human right although these devices exist few businesses organizations and govern ment services are provid ing them to their clients employees or customers to improve communication york region canadian hearing society hearing care counsellor noor ratansiiamurri said if you walk into the hospital with a sick child or other emergencies how do you communicate with nurses and doctors she said we want to stress these devices are open to businesses employers hospitals and more so they can show they are commit ted to being assessable for all the public may not think about these barriers since most can hear but for an aging population more than 50 per cent of people older than 65 have some hearing loss making devices for sound amplifi cation a must to ensure their quality of living keswick has the only library in the region with a tty public phone mobility transit has tty services and the organiza tion is working closely with emergency services to ensure 911 services are fully accessible we have the tools so now we have to get people to provide these services to employees and the public who need them she said gilbert lillie general support services counsellor for the canadian hearing society york region shows off a visual fire alarm just one of the many technical devices for deaf and hard of hearing citizens offered at the new communication devices and accessibility centre staff photomike barrett n i i mfiiilii jws return to where they know you best car truck fits most 9704 sierrasilverado uniroyal laredo cross country p24575r16 installed from installation balancing rubber valve stems lifetime inspection is included in the price jf your tires and our gm expertise we have tires for all your driving needs ask about the new exclusive gm tire protection plan er tire brake maintenance service front or rear disc brakes clean debris corrosion lubricate caliper sliderspins and backing plates adjust parking brake cable rear only road test extend the life of your tires have an alignment inspection done 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