Until the advent of SMS, profoundly deaf people unable to use a telephone for voice calls either had to rely on relatives or friends to make calls for them, or use a device called a minicom. Unfortunately, the telephone left deaf people very much behind in the global communications revolution that its invention precipitated.Īfter many years of having to put up with the hassle of not being able to use such a vital communications device, the convergence of digital technology and telecommunications that has led to the development of SMS has created something of a "killer application" for deaf people (although one new problem is that digital mobile phones create electronic interference when used for voice calls by hearing-aid users).
The original inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell, had intended his 1876 invention to be a communication aid for hearing impaired people. There is something of a historical irony worth noting here, however. Indeed, the scale of this project is likely to represent something of a major breakthrough, precisely because it is underpinned by the socially desirable philosophy of designing in accessibility at an early stage. "We believe that this project will deliver key application innovations that will impact everyone," said Paul Donovan, commercial managing director at Vodafone UK. The project will also incorporate text communications. Called WISDOM (Wireless Information Systems for Deaf People On the Move), this three-year, 6 million project will enable deaf people to have an opportunity to make sure that 3G mobile telecommunications is an inclusive and all-encompassing technology.įunded and sponsored by the European Commission, WISDOM is expected to focus on providing terminals, applications and services for deaf people, with particular emphasis on providing video sign language information on demand, sign language "chat", and remote interpretation services for communicating with hearing people. Given the leap forward in instant telecommunications for deaf people made possible by SMS, the development of third generation mobile services is likely to be vitally important for deaf people because of the potential for delivering quality video images over mobile devices to facilitate communication in sign language or lipreading.Īnd, if this potential is realised, it will result in the first truly interactive telecommunications for many deaf and hard of hearing people.Ī new 3G research project has been recently set up in the UK by a consortium of European researchers, deaf-support organisations, and mobile operators Ericsson and Vodafone UK (the new owners of Eircell). cheap and accessible) has contributed to the huge impact it has had on the social independence of members of the deaf community. The fact that SMS is a mainstream technology (ie. The very idea of a deaf person using a telephone may seem oxymoronic, but mobile phones have been bought by just about every young deaf person and used, in most cases, purely for text messaging (SMS).
If, in about five years time, you find yourself being pleasantly surprised by the quality, reliability, clarity and ease of use of third generation (3G) mobile telecommunications services and applications available on your mobile phone or device, the chances are it will be thanks to the input of deaf people.
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