5
When you’re looking for a phone, here are some features that can help you hear your
caller’s voice:
• incoming speech amplification
• hearing aid compatible (which means the phone works
with the ‘T’ or loop setting on your hearing aid).
Look for this symbol:
• hands free operation so sound reaches both ears
at once
• some phones have the keypad in the handset. So you
might prefer a phone with the keys on the base so
you can keep the handset near to your ear to hear
any automatic announcements as you dial
• headsets can be useful if you want to reduce
background noise. See page 31 for more information.
These days, digital cordless phones have good sound quality. They don’t usually have an
inductive coupler but some have an ‘in the ear’ headset option with a headset socket. If you
use a hearing aid when you’re on the phone, you might be able to hear better by using a neck
loop (portable inductive coupler) in place of the headset. For more information on which
phones might suit you, see page 19.
Helping you hear your phone ring with a Tonecaller
If you have trouble hearing your phone ring, you might find it helpful to get a new phone with
a choice of ring tones and volumes. Or a phone with a visual call indicator might help.
But if you still miss calls you might find that an extra alert is
useful. BT can supply a Tonecaller, which rings at the same
time as your phone and comes with a volume control and a
choice of four different tones.
If you’re a BT home customer and can’t hear the phone ring
due to a hearing loss, we can supply a Tonecaller, free of
charge, with a socket doubler for easy self installation next
to the phone.
If the alert would help more if it was placed away from the
phone, we can install an extension socket for use with a
Tonecaller or a loud extension bell free of charge (one per
residential customer). To order call 0800 800 150.
Remember: unless you’ve the latest phone sockets with a built-in ADSL filter, you
need to use an ADSL filter between the phone socket and the alerting device.
See page 24 for more details.
