TV & Telephone Devices for the Deaf & Mute

The terms deaf and mute are not always associated. Many times, a person who is deaf is also mute, but some deaf individuals learn to communicate orally. A mute person is for some reason unable to communicate orally. The deaf and mute populations often have overlapping concerns and difficulties communicating with the general public. This group can be expanded to include individuals with significant hearing and speech impairments who face essentially the same difficulties. The Senate report which accompanied the Americans with Disabilities Act states that there are 24 million deaf or hard of hearing individuals and 2.8 million speech-impaired individuals in the United States (Strauss 249). In recent years, the availability of resources to assist these groups of individuals has grown. The growth comes mainly from two sources: governmental legislation, and technology. The intent behind the new legislation is to include people with communication impairments in the mainstream of American life.

Two major forms of communication and information for the general public have been the television and the telephone. Both of these devises are becoming more user friendly for hearing-impaired and mute individuals. The inclusion of the decoder chip in all televisions manufactured after 1993 and larger than 13 inches has allowed hearing-impaired individuals to participate in this aspect of American culture (Elliot D16). Video recorders are able to store text with the American line

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rvices. Title IV requires the telecommunication industry to accommodate speech- or hearing-impaired individuals on an equal basis with normal hearing and speaking individuals (Coleman and Lister 3). One of every 16 Americans is affected by a hearing impairment (Scherich 27). One of every 100 is profoundly deaf (Scherich 27). Two-thirds of disabled American adults are unemployed (Scherich 27). Eighty percent of these disabled Americans would like to be employed (Scherich 27). A person's employment status and occupation in the United States determines that person's social status to a large degree. Thirty percent of individuals with disabilities claim to have encountered employment discrimination (Scherich 27). Before the ADA was enacted, they had no protection against discrimination in the employment sector other than companies receiving federal money, which were covered under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The ADA mandates equal treatment and accommodation for disabilities in all aspects of employment, from hiring to termination. The ADA affects deaf, hard-of-hearing, and speech-impaired individuals in three major areas. The first area is the right to compete for a job without being required to compete

Category: Government - T