Those dealing with deafness or a loss of hearing live in a world where clear communication is a hurdle. This difficulty is only further amplified when calling 911 in the event of an emergency.
Landlines with TTY/TDD used to be the answer, but communication was delayed and with the prevalence of cell phones it is slowly becoming obsolete. Even with modern technology for the deaf community that allows for video or text options, timing is dramatically slower for someone relying on alternative ways of communicating.
This communication roadblock necessitates the need for quick and reliable alerting devices for the deaf or hard of hearing. Keep reading to see why Rescu is the best solution for this community.
What are the Current Alerting Devices for the Deaf or Hard of Hearing?
As of right now, the deaf or hard of hearing community does not have many options when it comes to alert devices or contacting emergency responders. In most cases, they have to call 911 and just keep their phone nearby so that help is sent automatically due to no interaction over the phone. In addition to that, they have the below choices as alternatives:
TTY/TDD
TTY/TDD, which stands for TeleType or Telecommunications Device for the Deaf, respectively, refer to the same device. This device allows the deaf to communicate via typed text messages that are displayed on a screen instead of talking. Both parties need to have a TTY/TDD for communication to take place. While this is a potential solution, it is sadly outdated – not to mention the inevitable delay during emergency situations.
While 911 centers still support this old platform, there have been incidents in which such calls have not been properly recognized and addressed because of operator error.
Text to 911
In recent years, the government implemented their text to 9-1-1 service where you can text emergency dispatchers to send help to you. While this is a great development for the deaf community, it’s not available everywhere and texting 9-1-1 will take just as much time detailing the nature of the emergency and specifying your location.
Video Chat
Doing a video chat 911 call is still in its infancy, but serves as another potential alerting solution for the deaf community. While it does have its benefits, like the dispatcher being able to see what’s happening through the phone camera, someone who is hard of hearing would still have to keep their phone nearby – just as they would if they were calling 911.
The above solutions each have their pros and cons, but there is one alternative option that best serves the deaf and hard of hearing – the Rescu app.
The Rescu App – No Talking Required
The best alerting device for the deaf or hard of hearing community is one where there is no talking required to get help in an emergency – which is where the Rescu app comes in handy.
Rescu is a mobile app that informs and dispatches emergency services to your assigned location with just two taps on your phone. You can easily dispatch fire, medical, or the police directly from the app without talking to an operator on the phone at all – which makes it the perfect solution for the deaf or hard of hearing during an emergency.
Want to see exactly how Rescu works? Learn more here.