Using a telephone with a hearing aid

Telephones without a loop system

Leave your hearing aid on a setting you would use to pick up ordinary sound. Hold the telephone near the hearing aid microphone, at the front, top of your ear.

You will need to experiment to find the best position for the telephone. If you hold it too close, it may cause feedback (a whistling or gurgling noise). A good idea is to ask a family member or friend to phone you and ask them to keep talking while you experiment with different positions of the handset.

Telephones with an inductive coupler (loop system)

Switch your hearing aid to the loop programme. Hold the telephone receiver towards the back of your ear, close to the loop connection in the hearing aid.

All public payphones and motorway emergency telephones have a loop system. Most home telephones do not but you can rent or buy specially adapted ones.

Some mobile phones can be connected to a loop system that hangs around your neck. This may be useful if you are often using the phone in noisy surroundings, or if your hearing aid gives interference with a mobile phone.

Some organisations supplying special telephones for hearing-impaired people

British Telecommunications (you can also try other telephone companies)

81 Newgate Street, London, EC1A 7AJ; Tel: 0800 169 2707 (Voice) 0800 243 123 (Text). Ask for the Age and Disability Team.

Website: www.btplc.com/inclusion/|

Geemarc Communications Ltd

5 Swallow Court, Swallowfields, Welwyn Garden City, Herts, AL7 1SB

Tel: 01707 372372 (voice); Fax: 01707 372529; Email: enquiries@geemarc.com| 

Website: http://www.geemarc.com/|

The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID).

19-23 Featherstone Street, London, ECIY 8SL; Tel: 0808 808 0123 (voice, free)
0808 808 9000 (minicom, free); Fax: 020 7296 8199; Email: information@rnid.org.uk| Website: www.rnid.org.uk/|

Sensory Direct CIC.

Wessex House, Upper Market St, Eastleigh, SO50 9FD; Tel: 023 8060 1710 (voice); SMS: 07769 572 448; Fax: 023 8061 9808; Email: info@sensorydirect.org| Website: www.sensorydirect.org/|

Typetalk

This is a telephone relay service: speak to the person you are calling and get their reply on your textphone screen.

John Wood House, Glacier Building, Harrington Road, Brunswick Business Park, Liverpool, L3 4DF; Tel: 0800 7311 888 (voice) 18001 0800 500 888 (text);
Fax: 0151 709 8119 (text phone users) / 0151 702 0610 (hearing users); Email: helpline@textrelay.org|  Website: www.typetalk.org/|