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Its not just older persons who are deaf

Jenny105
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Hi this is  an add on to my post older lady seeks mobile smart / phone

 

At 24 I was found to be partially hearing. Its not just the elderly who are deaf. Ive worked, been very ill, lost my job, done voluntary work for disabled people. Travelled the world from Florida to Moscow, Iceland to South Africa. But conversing and communicating with my family is difficult. Deafness is known to isolate people, withdraw from what they could do etc

 

Its tough/ Tougher if I lived alone.  I dont know where to go for all round equipment advice thats relevant, impartial and skilled.

 

02 have good customer service but arent trained for this area. Plus there arent any phones to trial that are anywhere near high enough volume or complexity. With help i could manage complexity.

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MI5
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I notice on another post that @Toby was going to talk to you some more to get feedback from you.
It's good that they are interested in improving their services for deaf and partially hearing people.
I have no affiliation whatsoever with O2 or any subsidiary companies. Comments posted are entirely of my own opinion. This is not Customer Service so we are unable to help with account specific issues.

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Pixel 7a (O2 & Lyca), One Plus 6 (Sfr), iPhone 12 Pro Max (Vodafone)
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Toby
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Hi @Jenny105, thanks for your feedback on this. I've been sharing your experiences with the team and would love to hear more from you. Have you ever experienced examples of customer service that catered really well to your hearing issues? If so, I can share these with our team in order to improve. Its a great opportunity for you to share, and us to learn :).

 

Also, any other general accessibility suggestions are really welcome too. Eager to find out more from you!

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Bambino
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@Jenny105  If you find a phone that you think would suit you there are a few here who could help you with any complexity you may come across.

I DO NOT WORK FOR O2



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Cleoriff
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I think it's great you are sharing your experiences with us on here @Jenny105. We can learn a lot from you and welcome any information you are able to provide us with. wink

Veritas Numquam Perit

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jonsie
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Too true that it isn't just older people who have hearing disabilities, I had just turned 30 when I started having problems. I thank God that it is only partial but I cannot watch most TV or films without subtitles or the volume racked up to unacceptable levels for others. I'm really interested in your experiences @Jenny105 because who knows, my hearing could worsen at any time, I've already noticed the deterioration over the years.

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Toby
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Hi @jonsie, may I ask if you use any kinds of technology to aid your hearing? No need to share of course, but I'd like to understand the issues better :).

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jonsie
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@Toby wrote:

Hi @jonsie, may I ask if you use any kinds of technology to aid your hearing? No need to share of course, but I'd like to understand the issues better :).


 

I use two hearing aids but they are ok in the UK to a certain extent with loop induction systems but I tend not to wear them here as there is nowhere that has such systems. Whilst they help in general conversation, batteries last a week at best and though free in the UK through the NHS, here they cost a couple of pound each and last half the time. The only way I can take a mobile call is to put it on speaker and put the hearing-aids on full.

No such problem with Skype and I'm not at the stage where I see myself as disabled but my hearing is deteriorating. Tinnitus is totally different from hearing loss though the effect is the same. There is no 'ringing' noise for me. Try to imagine a car/truck tyre being deflated and that hissing noise is what I suffer from. Amplify that threefold and maybe you get an idea.

Whilst I am not deaf as such, I cannot hear clearly, I have to be looking at someone to be able to read their lips in order to converse. Talking in a group...? Forget that but the biggest stigma is that people think you are ignorant because you don't hear them. You look normal, you can speak normal but in general, people do not understand and are not very forgiving.

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Toby
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Thanks for the info @jonsie, really useful to hear from those who experience these kinds of problems. We've reached out to the accessibility team in O2 to a). Pass on all feedback and b). See what we can do to improve and to involve affected customers in useful activities going forward.

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Jenny105
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Hi

in the UK there is a loop system for TV users. At least in our county. We also have some free equipment for alarms etc and other items one can buy. Plus a dept to help with work items - if that system still operates!

 

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