Communication Technology - the ultimate aphrodisiac for Deaf, deaf and hard of hearing people

The one thing I can safely say that everybody can agree on is that communication technology is probably the ultimate aphrodiasic for Deaf, deaf and hard of hearing people. The kind of technology that gives us the ability to communicate with anyone, including hearing people. And vice versa, too. Gone would be the identity of who's exactly behind that cell phone you're talking with. Perhaps there would be no distinction on what cultural group a person would be identified with. No distiction whether if one is deaf or not simply because there is no communication barrier to begin? Would that be possible someday within our lifetime? With the way communication technology has been progressing I'd say very much so. And I think many of us deaf, Deaf, hard of hearing, CODA, parents of deaf/hh children, late deafened people and even the deaf and blind are certainly hopeful at this prospect. Meanwhile with the communication technology we have today, it has transformed many of us in how we continue to interact with the deaf, Deaf, deaf/blind and hearing communities. This will bound to improve over time. There's no doubt in that.

We're not yet at the tipping point but technology is certainly paving the way on voice recognition to text such as YouTube, text to speech, and even ASL or sign language recognition to voice or text. I believe we'll see one technology wave after another over the next 10 to 20 years regarding communication access and improved interaction between people with hearing loss and hearing people. Things will be done much more automatically and without the need of a 3rd party to intervene if one chooses so.

We are slowly becoming a highly interactive and connected world. Communication barriers are slowly coming down in many areas. The tipping point for the deaf and hard of hearing community is yet to come but its coming. The day will come that no matter who you communicate with using your preferred mode of communication it will be understood by anyone, deaf or hearing. Don't believe that? Try and remember what it was like exactly 10 years ago and compare to what you have today. Imagine what it might be like 10 years from now. And with communication technology today, it has the ability to help preserve, enhance, and even promote Deaf culture such as ASL. Imagine that!

Ask this question yourself. How many communication technology companies do you know of that were run by deaf/hh people ten years ago? What about today? What do you think it'll be like 10 or 20 years from now? What kind of communication technology devices will you have on you that will enable you to communicate with others in face to face situations more readily and easily? What about wirelessly like smart phones? On demand remote captioning? On demand remote ASL interpreter? Communication devices that will enable deaf and blind become even more independent than ever before? And so on? Maybe a futuristic iPad that would enhance Deaf people communication experiences through it's own version of the video phone? The possibilities are endless when you have technology on your side.

This is a roller coaster ride and we've just begun. In twenty years from now you'll look back and say, "Wow! What a ride!" And what was that ride like since 1990, twenty years ago? That was the kiddie ride. Next, it's the quadruple loop with a 200 foot drop roller coaster ride. Hang on! And, oh, bring your vomit bag, too.

Texting and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome...a danger to deaf people?

In a Foxnews story a 16 year girl was diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome of her wrists recently lost some feelings in her hands and was unable to pick up certain objects. This was due to excessive texting, constraining her fingers, hands and wrists over a smart phone keyboard which eventually affected her nerves in her wrists. This is known as "Repetitive Strain Injury" (RSI). Along with this affliction, it's not uncommon for many text users to experience thumb pain known as Blackberry Thumb.

Since texting is the number one communication method among most Deaf (or culturally deaf) and deaf cell phone users it comes with an added risk for those who also communicate preferably through signing. This is perhaps true among teens who are among the most prolific group of all phone texting users.

Teenagers sending and receiving an average of 80 text messages each day may be vulnerable to repetitive stress injuries of the thumb, according to the New York Times. As with Blackberry Thumb, compulsive texting can cause cramping, pain or numbness. While previous reports have stated that teens seem largely immune to Blackberry Thumb and that problems (like tendonitis) tend to crop up in patients in their 40s and 50s, the long-term effects of frequent texting are unknown. Ergonomics researchers are just beginning to study texting's impact, according to the Times.

Here are some statistics on texting:

* 72.2% of wireless users have paid for SMS packages. This equates to 203 million Americans.
* 57% of wireless users 13+ are considered regular text message users.
* There has been a 107% increase in text message use in the USA in the past year.
* 2.5 billion text messages are sent each day in the USA.
*More text messages are sent per phone than phone calls. The average
text messages used per month is 357 compared to 204 cell phone calls.
*15 million Americans used video on their cell phones in quarter two, 2008.
*138 million Americans have sent a text message in the past three months.

Not only are short texting popular you have Instant Messaging (IM) that are much more heavily used with longer conversations than short messages seen in SMS. On Facebook alone some 1 billion IMs are sent each day. Chatting or texting gives users greater privacy and are done in silence as opposed to talking on their cell phones heard by anybody within an ear shot.

The number of smart phones sold is rapidly on the rise so will the amount of texting/chatting that will increasingly merge URL linking to videos, music, webpages, and mobisodes/webisodes (and you thought TV soap operas were bad?)into their everyday smart phone communication. Which means more conversations using the QWERTY keyboard on smart phones to communicate.

Will this be a good thing or bad for deaf/hh smart phone users? Will we see an increase on fingers and hands related injuries or pain because of the constant texting that could affect deaf/hh people who signs? Are companies who offfer short text messaging or Instant Messaging be liable for people's hands and fingers injuries? Or are the makers of QWERTY keypads for smart phones be responsible for the supposedly "poor" ergonomics design?

Who is ultimately responsible?

The answer is that the smart phone users are the ones who are ultimately responsible for the health of their hands, wrists and fingers. Whether a person is prone to injuries or not there are ways to reduce the chances of injuries, pain or discomfort when it comes to texting or chatting on their smart phone.

If it's bad and quite painful, take a "Sabbatical" break for a few weeks off. This is almost like going cold turkey but if it's affecting your signing ability and that it is painful, your body is telling you an important message and that is to stop! If that's seems "impossible" then work out a plan to reduce the amount of time you use your smart phone. Include other exercises to help your hands, fingers and wrists.

Virgin Mobile has a website on exercises you can do to help alleviate the pain and discomfort. Or perhaps buy a contraption that supposedly helps strengthen your hands and fingers. But a cheap and simple sure-fire way of strengthening your hands and fingers is to get a bucket of sand and do some sand digging and finger extension exercises, among other exercises seen here.

The responsibility is yours alone on the health of your hands, fingers, and wrists when it comes to texting and chatting on your smart phones. More than likely if you are a smart phone user you will find yourself using the QWERTY keyboard more often as smart phones continue to improve and the desire to reach out and touch someone becomes even more irresistible.

What would deaf people like to see in a cell phone?

Whatever you may call it, a cell phone, a smart phone, text phone, a wireless phone, PDA, and so on, as a deaf or hard of hearing person, explain to me and to the rest of the world out there on some of the things that you would like to see improved or added onto your phone. Or if you're in a ranting mood, explain some of the things you do not like about your phone when it comes to communicating or texting to your friends and families. And what you would hope to see in the next 5 years if you think you can predict the future on the improvements you'd expect to see in your next phone when it comes to communicating to the outside world, deaf or hearing.