Landline and Cell Phones

There are landline and cell phones that are compatible with hearing aids and cochlear implants. Find out about hearing-aid-compatible (HAC) phones before you shop. Learn about how to look for and test a phone that is right for you.

Find accessible wireless products with the features you want and services you need at accesswireless.org. Consumers can “Find a Phone” by searching and comparing the accessibility features of a variety of wireless handsets through the Mobile Manufacturer Forum’s (MMF) Global Accessibility Reporting Initiative (GARI).

View Hearing Aid Compatibility with Cell Phones for more information.

Captioned Phones

Did you know there is a captioned telephone, just like captioned TV, so you can read along as you listen to the other party on the phone?

Captioned telephone services are provided by a live communications assistant who listens to the other party on the line and provides the text on the captioned phone, usually via speech recognition technology. The cost of captioning each internet protocol captioned telephone (IP CTS) call is funded through a federal program. Oversight for the program is provided by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

To use a captioned telephone, individuals with hearing loss must certify that they have a hearing loss that necessitates use of captioned telephone service.

Go to the following websites to learn more about captioned telephone services:

711 for Telecommunications Relay Service

The Federal Communications Commission adopted use of the 711 dialing code for access to
Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS). TRS permits persons with a hearing or speech disability to
use the telephone system via a text telephone (TTY) or other device to call persons with or without
such disabilities. See the FCC’s consumer guide for more information.

Equipment Distribution Program

Depending on which state you live in you might be eligible for free or reduced-cost telecommunications equipment such as amplified telephones and analog captioned phones. See if your state has an Equipment Distribution Program.