This Saturday, September 21, 2024, is the first HLAA-TC chapter meeting of the 2024-2025 season. It is an IN PERSON ONLY meeting (all chapter meetings are IN PERSON ONLY this year) at Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute in Golden Valley, MN (in the board room, our usual location). To find out more about our location, visit this page. Remember that all HLAA-TC chapter meetings are open to everyone and real time captioning is provided (Communication Access Real-Time Translation, CART). The meeting room is looped with a hearing loop, which means you can connect cochlear implants and some hearing aids to the hearing loop (for the sound to go directly into your hearing device). The meeting starts informally at 9:30 for social time and the speaker starts at 10:00 am.

September 21st Chapter Meeting Program Change: Kirk Anderson WON’T be presenting today as originally planned (a cancellation had to happen). Therefore, HLAA-TC Board Members will be leading a discussion and the meeting will still be opened up to those attending to get app/website/technology recommendations. Thank you for understanding this last minute change.

The second part of program time of the meeting we will open it up for anyone attending to share smartphone applications, websites and/technology that you use and recommend to help with your hearing loss. Also, consider bringing it along and show everyone how it works and how you use it (don’t worry, you don’t have to be an expert on the app/device/website, just an average person with some information to share)! Let’s spend our first meeting learning about resources, sharing our experiences and getting reacquainted.

App, Website Information Recommended by SM Specialist Laura Hagemann

HLAA-TC Social Media Specialist Laura Hagemann has written blogs on our HLAA-TC website with information and recommendations about technology she uses. See below: “I have written several blog posts recommending apps, websites and various technology for helping with hearing loss.” – Laura Hagemann

The following information is from a previous blog post when we had a meeting where HLAA-TC shared apps, websites and tech to help with hearing loss (this was for our December 2022 Chapter Meeting where we shared “Technology and Hearing Devices for Surviving the Holidays with Hearing Loss.”)

Technology and hearing devices

When it comes to using technology like smart phones and computers to help with hearing, there are major categories that this technology works best for:

1. Transcription (definition: a written or printed representation of something usually spoken)
2. Captions (open and closed captions are time coded and closed captions can be turned on and off while open captions are a part of the video. Live captions are displayed in real time and are either computer- generated or human-generated).
3. Syncing with hearing aids
4. Understanding phone calls

 

Transcription Apps

Best Free Speech to Text Software for Android, Windows and iOS:  https://www.folio3.ai/blog/best-free-speech-to-text-software/

Apple Dictation in the Notes App- Apple Dictation/Notes App is one of the best free speech to text software that comes built-in with most Apple devices. Just open a Note and press the microphone on the keyboard to start dictation/transcription.

Group Transcribe: A Microsoft Garage Product: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/group-transcribe/id1527145885

How to use the Live Captions in iOS 16: https://mashable.com/article/apple-ios-live-captions

Otter.ai- Voice Meeting Notes & Real-time Transcription: https://otter.ai/

Live Transcribe (for Android): https://www.android.com/accessibility/live-transcribe/

Ava: an instant transcription app for the computer and devices. Available on iOS and Android: https://www.ava.me/

Cardzilla: transcription app that displays text large on screen. Google Store and Apple Store

Captioning Apps/Websites

To be able to have all video and audio captioned, use the Google Chrome browser (this only works on a computer) and turn on “Live Captions” which is Google’s AI version of live captions. As long as you run the program on Chrome (Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, any video or audio platform: YouTube, Vimeo, Spotify, etc.) the video or audio will be live captioned by AI. Read this help article by Google to find out how to easily turn live captions on.

Syncing with Hearing Aids

Your audiologist and hearing aid manuals are the top places to go for this information. However, you can find additional information for iPhones here: https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/hearing-devices-iph470b1833/ios and you can find additional information on syncing hearing aids to Android phones, here: https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/9426888?hl=en

Understanding Phone Calls

https://rogervoice.com/en/ Captions phone calls (on smart phones).

https://www.innocaption.com/ Captions phone calls (on smart phones).

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/clearcaptions-mobile/id1389230518 ClearCaptions Mobile- captions phone calls (on smart phones).

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/olelo-captioned-calls/id1529823668 Olelo. Captions phone calls (on smart phones).

https://www.captel.com/ CapTel: a special landline phone that captions phone calls.

https://captioncall.com/ CaptionCall: a special landline phone that captions phone calls.

Other Apps and websites

There are many apps out there that cover various features that help with Hearing Loss, here’s a unique and useful one:

https://www.soundprint.co/ SoundPrint- find decibel levels of nearby places. This is particularly helpful when selecting a place to gather with friends and family. The app allows you to search by location for establishments that have been rated by fellow SoundPrint app users (like you) as QUIET or LOUD.

Other Technology/ Devices

Apple Watch: While an expensive option, there are benefits: 1) when using GPS/navigation when driving the Apple Watch sends buzzing alerts when your turn is coming up (so you don’t have to worry about hearing the navigation voice or looking down at a screen). Note: this works when you use the Apple Maps application for navigation (not Google Maps); 2) Weather and other alerts like Amber alerts buzz on both your phone and your watch; 3) hearing aids can be synced and controlled with the watch (this statement is from the Phonak website and applies to many Bluetooth Hearing Aids (no matter the brand) “As long as your smartwatch supports Bluetooth classic (A2DP and HFP). With A2DP you can listen to music and with HFP you can make hand free phone calls. Please be aware that not all smart watches support this profiles.”

AirPods Pro (with noise canceling): “I recently started using Apple Air Pod Pros (again, expensive) and as someone who is incredibly sound sensitive and all sounds are heavily distorted (because of my severe Traumatic Brain Injury), I have really enjoyed the noise canceling feature on these (only certain Air Pods have noise cancellation). I have also started to try listening to audio books and using the Air Pods the sound quality is so good that it helps me to listen. There are other noise canceling headphones out there (non-Apple) but these are the ones I use so I am recommending them. I personally use an Apple Watch, iPhone and Mac computer, so I can’t personally recommend other devices.” NOTE: Apple AirPods Pro 2 (not the ones I have) will soon feature “a clinical grade hearing aid capability” see more about that on the HLAA site. -Laura Hagemann, HLAA-TC Social Media Specialist (she also runs the blog and book club and can be emailed at: social@hlaatc.org)

We look forward to seeing everyone in person at Courage Kenny on Saturday and we are looking forward to an exciting year of meetings and programming (see the September Newsletter for the chapter meeting schedule with topics and speakers for the whole year and visit our Meeting Page for a list of all the Fall meetings- chapter meetings, book clubs and board meetings- the whole year will be added to the website soon).

Book Club: This coming Tuesday, September 24th at the later time of 7:30 pm, HLAA-TC Book Club is welcoming author Josh Swiller to talk about his memoir “The Unheard: Memoir of deafness and Africa” about his hearing loss and time spent as a Peace Corps volunteer. To register for the Zoom meeting, please go here (all book clubs are on Zoom with Zoom/AI captions and are open to everyone).

Membership: Remember that now is the time to join or renew your HLAA-TC membership. Go to our Membership Page to find a form to fill out and mail in along with your dues (all information of cost and address to mail to is on the Membership Page.

Volunteer to Help during HLAA-TC Chapter Meetings: Bring items up from storage at Courage Center for each meeting. Email Byrdie if interested in helping president@hlaatc.org

• Organize meeting items on welcome table

• Set-up table and chairs for meeting

• Greeter for each meeting

• Bring snacks

• Bring coffee

• Tech assistant