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In a report produced byt the world health organisation in March 2020, over 5% of the world’s population (approximately 466 Million) are deaf, and it is predicted that by 2050 potentially 900 million people will have some form of disabling hearing loss.
In an article by The Guardian 75% of people with hearing loss in employment fear they will be less productive at home than in the office. The need then, for accessories for the deaf to be able to complete their roles are super important.
So let’s take a look at 8 working from home accessories you should consider investing in that are now more important than ever
(Now it’s worth mentioning that this post has a lot of information and so if you’re curious about the best equipment needed to work remotely simply go to my resource page here)
Phone Amplifier
For people with hearing impairment and working from home ensuring they do not miss work calls can be a cause of constant worry and anxiety. Phone amplifiers are a great product that will help alleviate that concern.
You can purchase amplifiers that will increase the volume on the ringtone or add an extra loud and longer lasting ring. Alternatively, you can purchase a vibrating phone that has an earpiece you attach and when it rings will vibrate.
My recommendation
The connected essential phone amplifier is my recommendation, not only is it returnable for a longer period than most amplifiers, it’s incredibly compact – you can get it here.
Strap on Notifiers
During a normal office working day you can find your calendar filled with meetings, deadlines or any other key events.
Frequently whilst engaging in complex or thought engaging tasks you often lose track of time and might not notice the small reminder pop up on the bottom of your screen for a meeting or deadline.
In those instances strap on notifiers are your go to tool .
Strap on notifiers are attached to you and will give you a physical queue when you are receiving a phone call, receive a message or have a reminder pop up for a meeting.
Conversation aids
One of the many benefits technological advances has brought is the development in the conversation aids field.
Hearing aids are devices that help amplify the sound and assist you in conversations and make everyday sounds more clearer and louder for you.
Hearing aids also help with reducing some of the background noises in your day to day activities.
My recommendation
As you likely already know, there is no one size fits all solution when it comes to conversation aids and so I would recommend speaking to your local audiologist to find the right type of conversation aid that would work for you.
Relay UK
Less of an accessory and more a service that may potentially be able to help.
Relay UK is a service that helps those who are deaf, Speech-impaired and hard of hearing.
You can use the service by either downloading the APP or using the textphone. The way the service works is it allows someone with speech or hearing difficulties to communicate with a friend or family member in a three-way conversation with the third person being a Relay Assistant.
You would call a number which then gets allocated to a Relay Assistant and he or she will either type or speak (depending on your requirement) what the other person is communicating.
This allows you to have a fluent conversation with someone else on the phone
My recommendation
It goes without saying that Relay UK would be my recommendation, you can find out more information about them here.
Vibrating Alarm Clock
One of the advantages of working from home is the extra hours you save no traveling to the office.
However, a danger is when that alarm clock is set closer and closer to 9am (in some instances 08:55 am!) and you risk oversleeping and easily become late.
Bring in the Vibrating alarm clock! The purpose of this bad boy is to make sure you do NOT miss the early morning wake up and help you on your way to seize the day!
My recommendation
Now there are loads of fantastic vibrating alarm clocks on the market place but my recommendation has to be the Sonic Alert alarm clock, a brand which has been specifically designed to get us night owls out of bed – you can get it here.
Captioned Telephones
One of the sad impacts of those who have difficulties with hearing is feeling intimidated by phone conversation that lasts more than a few minutes.
Being fearful of having to ask someone to repeat themselves or the real effort it takes to keep up with the other person on the other side of the line.
Captioned Telephones are aimed at those who have difficulties hearing over the phone.
How it works is the phone has a screen that will type out everything said by the other person on the line. Think of it as Subtitles for Telephones!
This will help you have a smoother conversation and give you more confidence and joy to continue longer, more satisfying phone conversations.
My recommendation
In terms of market leaders and a phone that works for digital cable, dsl, Voip and Fios look no further then the Hamilton Captel which you can grab here
Smart jewellery & watches
As Technology continues to grow and focus is given to key areas such as tech for those with disabilities, this one has me very excited.
Smart Jewellery for those with hearing impairment is a growing field and continuous to push and develop what it can do to improve the everyday life of everyone.
The Smart Bracelet is one of two I will mention on this blog.
The purpose of the Smart Bracelet is to keep you connected to your family, friends, work and the Online world by using vibrations and lights to notify you of any messages or activities. Each vibration has its own rhythm and strength that you can vary based on apps or a particular contact e.g. Mom.
The second device is the Smart watch which works similarly to the bracelet but also has capabilities to allow you to read similarly to the caption telephone but smaller and on the go.
The smart watch I talk about here is currently in the crowdfunding stage but one of the really amazing features is they are trying to improve people’s quality of life by converting sounds to vibrations.
That will allow people to feel the music that’s being listened to!
General smartwatches and smart bracelets however are both incredible options to keep you notified if you are unable to here things like the phone or doorbell.
My recommendation
My recommendation then has to be the Samsung Active 2 which comes in a huge variety of styles whilst also being compatible with pretty much any device. – you can get it here
Zoom
One of the benefactors of the Covid Pandemic is Zoom which has grown significantly with the move to online meetings.
Zoom has also added features to their video conferencing for people who are deaf or having a hearing impairment. An example of this is the pin and spotlight option that will make it easier to understand and follow the meetings.
My recommendation
Zoom will (obviously) be the recommendation here – to create an account click here
Wrapping things up
2020 has been a year of cataclysmic change for many, the main factor being the global fight against Covid-19. One of those drastic adjustments many businesses have had to make is getting their workforce to work from home (where possible).
When reacting and rolling out massive changes in a short space of time it inevitably leads to certain important areas being missed. One of those important areas ensuring employees who are deaf are properly set up from home.
The list of accessories isn’t a complete or exhaustive one either. The purpose of this article is to give you an insight into what is out there and available and more importantly, you are not alone.
Whilst technology has made us more connected than ever there is a tendency to forget or overlook the importance of the physical connections. If you feel alone or overwhelmed there are many great organisations such as Mind or Sane who are just a phone call away from being able to help you.
For employers there might be a genuine lack of awareness on accessories that can help their deaf employees at home and for deaf employees themselves it might be a question of what is available and where can I get it.
With that in mind we want to do our bit in helping provide some tips on the best accessories available in the market.
Please remember this is a subjective list and thus opinions might vary, if there are any accessories you want to add don’t hesitate to drop a comment and give us your feedback!
A lot of people reading my blog want to know what products I recommend for a home office/remote working. You can find out my recommendations here and learn how I make money whilst working remotely on the side here.
The content on this on this site has been written by Fehed Nicass who has over a decades worth of experience in sales and has worked remotely for the past 2 years.