INTEGRATED, INTELLIGENT AND INTERACTIVE TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEM FOR HEARING/SPEECH IMPAIRED PERSONS

A LARGE SEGMENT OF SOCIETY-HEARING AND SPEECH IMPAIRED PERSONS-IS CUT OFF FROM THE MAINSTREAM OF SOCIETY BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN BYPASSED BY CURRENT COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY. INTEGRATED MICROCOMPUTER SYSTEMS, INC. (IMS) PROPOSES TO RESEARCH, DESIGN, DEVELOP AND EVALUATE AN EFFICIENT AND COST-EFFECTIVE TELECOMMUNICATIONS UNIT TO MEET THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF HEARING AND SPEECH IMPAIRED USERS TO CALL OR RECEIVE CALLS FROM ANYONE WHO HAS A COMPUTER MODEM (AT 300 OR 1200 ASCII BPS), A TOUCH-TONE TELEPHONE, AND ANY DOMESTIC TTY/TTD. THESE THREE COMMUNICATION DEVICES CONNECTED THROUGH THE INTELLIGENT POWER OF A COMPUTER WILL ESTABLISH A NEW STANDARD FOR TELECOMMUNICATION AMONG HEARING AND SPEECH IMPAIRED PERSONS. POTENTIAL USERS OF THE PROPOSED UNIT INCLUDE PERSONS WHO DERIVE NO BENEFIT FROM CONVENTIONAL VOICE-TO-VOICE TELEPHONECOMMUNICATION: ELDERLY PERSONS WITH MARKED HEARING LOSS, SPEECH IMPAIRED PERSONS, PRE- AND POST-LINGUALLY DEAF PERSONS AND HARD OF HEARING PERSONS. PHASE I OF THIS PROJECT WILL CONSIST OF THE SYSTEMATIC COMPILATION, ANALYSIS AND APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE TOWARD THE DRAFTING OF A SPECIFIC DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR PRODUCTION OF APPROPRIATE IMPROVED AND ACCESSIBLE TELECOMMUNICATION DEVICES. IMS WILL BEGIN ITS RESEARCH EFFORTS WITH A SYSTEMATIC ASSESSMENT OF THE TELECOMMUNICATION NEEDS OF THE TARGET POPULATION. CONCURRENTLY IMS WILL EVALUATE PRESENTLY USED TELECOMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT AND IDENTIFY CAPABILITIES AND QUALITIES IN DESIGN. FROM THIS DUAL ASSESSMENT A LIST OF FEATURES WILL BE GENERATED. TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY AND DESIGN ACCOMMODATION FACTORS WILL BE ANALYZED FOR DESIGNATED FEATURES AND A REALISTIC APPRAISAL OF ALL ELEMENTS LEADING TO DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT WILL BE DRAFTED.