FREE SPRINT CapTel INTERNET CALLS

After years of suffering abuse, my mother lost the ability to hear out of her left ear. She never sought any help for her hearing loss, and I suppose she didn’t want to explain just how it happened. It isn’t easy for a person to admit to being a victim of domestic violence. But one thing is for sure; the violence does leave various permanent scars. Hearing loss is just one of the many results of physical abuse. But there is help out there if you are really in need of alternative hearing options.

There are many people who are ashamed to admit that they are suffering from hearing loss. And because of the shame, they don’t seek or take advantage of the many services that are available to them. Perhaps one reason is that our American society places much emphasis on physical perfection. Another reason may be that many people associate hearing loss with age, and hardly anyone wants to admit to getting older. Well news flash - hearing loss happens for many reasons, and does not necessarily have anything to do with age, and none of us are perfect.

Living with hearing loss is quite an adjustment, especially when there is no explanation for the loss. I don’t know how my hearing loss came about five years ago; neither my Audiologist nor I can explain it, and it is very frustrating. Prior to losing my hearing, I used to talk on the phone a lot. I knew that in order to stay connected to the people that I love, and to the world in general, I had to research my options. One such option was my TTY phone, but I found that the screen was a bit too small for me. You could only read so much text at one time, and I wasn’t very interested in learning the TTY lingo. This style of communicating wasn't for me.

Since I am on my computer a lot, I signed up for “free” Internet captioning calls with Sprint CapTel, and Hamilton CapTel. Sprint CapTel, allows enables you to have a “free” captioned, word-for-word telephone conversation over the Internet. There is no special equipment required, for you just talk on your phone and read what the other person is saying on your computer screen. Mind you, there is a third party involved, a professional captioner who is “fully trained” to provide this service. You won’t hear the conversation via your computer, just through your phone, but you will see what the captioner is typing in real-time. You can use your home phone or cell phone. I made a call from my cell phone, and it really works.

Whether you use a PC or MAC, it will work with both. Also, when you sign up for this service, you will provide your telephone number, the phone that you will be calling from. However, your callers will be provided with an 800 number to dial into Sprint CapTel. Sprint also offers “Call Me” cards that you can give out to people with your 800 number. With the 800 number, you can receive captioned calls from anyone; however, you will have to be at your computer to receive them. I do believe that there will be a log for the calls that you missed. I haven’t gotten that far yet. The calling cards are the size of a business card and they are beautiful. You could print them out on glossy card stock, and they are in a PDF format. Sounds great? Well, here is the link to the Sprint CapTel site for more information: https://www.sprintcaptel.com/index.asp.

One final note, please read the "Acceptable User Policy and Agreement." This service is free, however, you still have to abide by the rules. Some of the policies include, not using their service for other purposes and most importantly, "By using Sprint IP Relay or Sprint WebCaptel for emergency calling you agree that Sprint and it’s subcontractors and suppliers are not responsible for any damages resulting from errors, defects, malfunctions, interruptions or failures in accessing or attempting to access emergency services through Sprint IP Relay whether caused by the negligence of Sprint or otherwise."

If you have an emergency and you need to make a 911 call, please use the traditional means, your home telephone or cell phone. The calls will be dialed directly this way, and it is the safest way.