Broadcast Radio for Individuals Who are Deaf: Gaining

Talk radio reaches large audiences of people and is a significantly less expensive medium than television. Yet radio broadcasts are inaccessible to deaf and certain hearing impaired people. In project BRIDGE, TeleSonic proposes to simultaneously broadcast information via the radio in multiple transmission forms to deliver both audio and visual information. Users of TTYS, for example, will receive "closed-captioned" broadcasts of radio programs. The Phase I hypothesis is: it is feasible to transmit multimedia signals over commercial radio to be received by special decoder devices. TeleSonic will: 1) define technical trial test approaches; 2) develop test transmitter/ receiver devices; 3) produce a brief radio talk show; 4) organize focus group feedback sessions; 5) conduct trials; 6) develop preliminary product design specifications; and 7) document results. Anticipated long-term results include development of a commercially marketable radio transmission and receiving device.