Vol 4, Issue 4 - September, 2013
Promoting accessibility and usability of wireless technology for consumers of all ages and abilities
The Re:Wireless Industry and Consumer Newsletter is usually distributed on a quarterly basis, but sometimes waiting three months in between issues is just too long. Such is the case now where I'm able to share two new SUNspots and a Research Brief for your reading pleasure. I couldn't just sit on these golden nuggets for another month or two. Share and share alike, I say.
We created "SUNspot" to share some of the latest findings from ongoing data collection for our Survey of User Needs (SUN), our cornerstone survey on use and usability of wireless technology by people with disabilities. The data reported in all of the SUNspots are preliminary results. The two new SUNspots I shared below focus on:
- Adults with Disabilities and Wireless Service Plans
- Adults with Disabilities and Sources of Wireless Accessibility Information
Our newest Research Brief details User Needs for Assistive Listening Systems in Public Venues for Hearing Aid Users. The publication presents survey research data on the experiences of people who are hard of hearing when using assistive listening systems at public meetings and events.
And in other survey news, our 2013 Hearing Aid Compatibility survey is still open to anyone that uses a hearing aid or cochlear implant. Please take the survey, or forward it to someone you know who uses hearing aids or has cochlear implants. Participants will automatically be entered into a drawing for one of four $50 Amazon gift cards we will give away as incentives for participation. Follow the link in the story below to take the survey!
As always, enjoy this issue of Re:Wireless. If you'd like this newsletter in an alternative accessible format, please contact me.
Sincerely,
Ben Lippincott
Manager, Industry Relations
Wireless RERC
404-894-7034
ben@imtc.gatech.edu
SUNspot 2013 (Number 05) - Adults with Disabilities and Wireless Service Plans
This SUNspot addresses the questions related to choices of wireless service and preferences for particular service features. Two specific questions are addressed:
- How do adults with disabilities choose a wireless service provider?
- Do adults who are blind, deaf or have difficulty speaking, prefer specialized wireless service plans like voice-only, data-only, or text-only service?
Read the full 2013 SUNspot (Number 05)!
Research Brief: User Needs for Assistive Listening Systems in Public Venues for Hearing Aid Users
This research brief presents survey data collected by the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Technologies (Wireless RERC) to learn how people who are hard of hearing use their mobile phones, and also to learn about their experiences using assistive listening systems while attending public meetings and events.
The questionnaire was structured around 3 areas of inquiry:
- Cellphone use and satisfaction with sound quality
- Availability, use and satisfaction with assistive listening systems (ALS) in public events venues
- Interest in an app-based assistive listening system
The questionnaire was designed for a market needs study to assess the availability and potential value to consumers of a new mobile app-based assistive listening system for use in public venues. The questionnaire is brief and the sample size relatively small (180 respondents). However, because of the importance of the subject matter - accessible public events for people who use assistive listening technology - the data collected are presented as a Research Brief. This initial project may serve as the pilot for a more comprehensive study currently under consideration by the Wireless RERC.
Participate! Take the 2013 Hearing Aid Compatibility Survey
In 2005, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) began implementing new rules to make cell phones "compatible" with hearing aids and cochlear implants. Cell phones that are compatible with hearing aids " produce minimal electromagnetic interference, which causes static when the phone is near the ear with the hearing aid.
The Wireless Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (Wireless RERC) is interested in how the FCC's regulations impact the usability of cell phones for people who use hearing aids and cochlear implants. We invite people who use hearing aids or cochlear implants to participate in the survey regarding their use of cell phones.
Start the 2013 Hearing Aid Compatibility Survey!
As incentive for taking our 2013 HAC survey you will have a chance to win one of four $50 Amazon gift cards!
If you wish to take the survey over the phone, please emailJohn Morris or call him at 404-367-1348.
Thank you for reading this interim issue of Re:Wireless!
If you'd like more information about what's included here, have questions about our other projects, or need this newsletter in an alternate accessible format, please contact me.
Consider following the Wireless RERC on Twitter and Facebook. "Follow" buttons above our logo on this newsletter make it easy to subscribe to our networks. Feel free to repost or retweet any information you read here, or on the other Wireless RERC websites found in the "Quick Links" bar to the left, on your own social networks.
If you'd like to forward this newsletter to other colleagues or interested parties, please feel free. Or better yet, ask them if they'd like me to add them to the distribution list.
As always, let me know how we're doing!
Sincerely,
Ben Lippincott
Manager, Industry Relations
Wireless RERC
404-894-7034
ben@imtc.gatech.edu
This is a publication of the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Technologies supported by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research of the U.S. Department of Education, grant # H133E110002. The opinions contained in this publication are those of the grantee and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Education.
