If you are hard of hearing or have a friend or family member who is, then you know how important it is to have a caption phone. Clear Captions phones are designed to make communication easier for those with difficulty hearing. In this article, we will discuss the features of Clear Caption phones and provide a buying guide to help you choose the right one for your needs.
In This Article:
What Are Clear Caption Phones?
Clear Caption phones are a brand of telephone with a built-in screen that displays the text of the conversation in real time. This benefits those with difficulty hearing, as they can read along with the conversation and follow along more easily. Clear Caption is one brand of captioned phones, and they offer several different models, both in the form of landline and mobile phones.
How Do Caption Phones Work?
Caption phones work by using a technology called Speech-to-Text. This technology converts the spoken word into text, which is displayed on the screen in real-time. Clear Caption phones use this technology to provide accurate and reliable captions of conversations.
Read about more Phones for Hearing Impaired or Voice Activated Phones for Seniors.
What Are The Benefits Of Using A Caption Phone?
Using a caption phone has many benefits, especially for those with difficulty hearing. Some of the benefits include:
- The ability to follow along with conversations more easily
- Improved communication with family and friends
- Greater independence and confidence when talking on the phone
Clear Caption Phone Models
As mentioned above, ClearCaption offers two models for their clients, a cell phone and a landline phone. The Home Phone is sort of a landline phone that provides near real-time caption on an easy-to-use touchscreen phone. The Home Phone, has a full touch screen color display, one-touch caption size, color adjustment, hands-free calling with a built-in speakerphone, favorites, and Quick-dial Contacts, and a voicemail and answering machine with captioned messages.
The other model is a mobile phone that allows you to take advantage of captioned calls wherever you are, allowing you to stay confident. The mobile phone also comes with several features including but now limited to personalized ClearCaptions number solely for your captioned calls, captioned conversations that can be stored for further reference, and near real-time accurate captioning displayed on your mobile screen, change font sizes and colors right in the app.
The CaptionPhone is available for iOS 12 and above, whereas the Android version will be launched soon.
Customer Reviews
Clear Captions has a rating of four and a half stars on Consumer Affairs. The most recent reviewer stated, “This is an excellent product for people who are hard of hearing or deaf. It has changed my life.” Another reviewer said. “I have had ClearCaptions for about two months now, and it has been wonderful! I highly recommend this phone to others who are hard of hearing.”
Why Is Call Captioning Free with ClearCaption?
ClearCaptions is made possible by Title IV of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which established a nationally run program. The FCC manages the Telecommunications Relay Service Fund, which provides Clear Caption service free to qualified U.S. residents.
The Universal Service, to which all telecommunications service providers must contribute, supports the TRS Fund. Every phone bill normally includes a minor fee that helps phone service providers sustain revenue. This money allows us to continue to provide free captioned calls to hard-of-hearing consumers. There are no bills, fees, or obligations to pay.
Eligibility
People who are hard of hearing or have hearing loss that necessitates using a phone captioning service such as ClearCaptions can take advantage of the service. If you want to be eligible for ClearCaptions products and services, you must first be a resident of the United States and then prove that your hearing loss interferes with your ability to use the phone.
How To Get Certified?
Simply put, you need to self-certify that you have a hearing loss that requires you to use the captioning services. This is your confirmation that you are a qualified user of this service, which is provided to you free of charge owing to a nationally run program.
You can also download a Professional Certification Form and provide it to your healthcare professional or audiologist to certify your hearing loss if your hearing loss has been identified by them.
The Takeaway
If you have difficulty hearing or are deaf, Clear Caption phones can be a game-changer regarding your ability to communicate over the phone. With accurate and reliable real-time captioning, Clear Caption phones offer benefits and can help improve communication. Best of all, the service is free for eligible U.S. residents.
For more information on Clear Caption phones and how to get started, be sure to check out their website. Do you have any experience with Clear Caption phones? Let us know in the comments below.
my phone quit working. It lights up and all ,but when I try calling Clear choice it will not connect.
The Clear Caption phone has no service, no repair or replacement. If your Clear Caption phone doesn’t work, you are out of luck. Don’t use Clear Captions.
The worst phone service you can get. They push out updates and it kills the phone. Then they give you the run around.