David le Page
Finding out that there is a special cellphone service for deaf people was a little puzzling. After all, surely any phone with a vibrating alarm, which is pretty standard, and a normal short message service (SMS) – just as standard- can work perfectly well as a wireless communicator for deaf people?
Sure enough, the MTN/Alcatel package for deaf people involves Alcatel phones with a vibrating alarm and SMS package. What is not standard about the package is that it helps to overcome another disability that tends to come with deafness, and that is being short of money. The MTN SMS package costs a very moderate R34,20 a month, and 17c a message. This is “within reach of most deaf people”, according to Dr Johan Hamilton, executive director of the Institute for the Deaf and initiator of a pilot project in Worcester, at the De La Bat School for the Deaf. It’s certainly cheaper than a standard Telkom phone contract.
Alcatel have donated One Touch Pocket phones to the project. Besides the vibrating alarm, the Alcatel phones have slightly larger than average displays, making reading SMS messages easier.
ENDS
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