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5 tech options for employees who are Deaf
Chats around the water cooler or while waiting for the
kettle to boil for your morning cuppa are great for
catching up on office gossip and an important part of
building social ties.
However for people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, those
chats can be one of the biggest challenges in the
workplace, along with staff mumbling, poor lighting
obscuring co-worker's faces and the placement of desks.
It's important to be able to communicate effectively at
work, so we've compiled a list of readily available tech
options to help you out.
1. Email
Email is invaluable because it allows everyone
to have equal access.
Plus it's something clients and co-workers already use daily.
It's also a great way to keep a record of conversations and
project-related info.
Each workplace will have its own email set up but for
personal accounts, try:
Gmail
Outlook
Yahoo
2. Customised phones
Customised phones help conduct voice calls, boost audio and
some even provide captions of what the caller is saying. Try:
CapTel handset
Word of Mouth Technology
3. Text and video messaging
Texts are a quick and easy way to communicate and short
videos allow you to see people's facial expressions and gestures.
Most smart phones come with text and video messaging built
in but there are plenty of free messaging apps available.
Try:
Glide
Viber
WhatsApp
4. Video calling
With videos, both people can see each other and interact as
though they were face to face in a meeting.
Like video messaging it allows you to see context, gestures
and facial expressions, all things that are lost in email
or text message communication.
Most are available on desktop and mobile devices, so you
can take the technology with you.
Try:
Skype
OoVoo
Google Hangouts
Tango
5. Instant messaging within the office
Communicate quickly with co-workers without having to leave
your desk.
Think of it like text messaging from your computer. Try:
Skype
Office Chat
Google Hangouts
You can see this information as a handy,
shareable infographic.
Have we missed something?
Tell us how you like to communicate at work by submitting
a blog or an Auslan video.