Page 16 - Sphere No.13 (Dec 2004)

T E C H N O L O G Y
F or those of us who can hear, talk-
ing on the telephone seems like the
most natural thing to do. But
imagine living in a world without sound.
We would not be able to hear the
phone ring, and even if we did pick it up
we couldn’t communicate. For deaf
people, this has been a problem since the
telephone was invented.
For the first time, however, those
with hearing difficulties are queu-
ing up to buy mobile video
phones provided by 3 for the
simple reason that the com-
pany deploys 3G technology
that brings a whole new
visual dimension to
telecommunications.
Thanks to the video
capabilities of 3, deaf
people are now able
to converse in
a dialect they
understand –
sign language
– and they
are giving it a big thumbs up in Europe.
Previously, deaf people had benefited to
some degree from SMS messaging, but
the written language is not the common
means of communication and never really
caught on. Sign language, on the other
hand, uses hands, eyes, mimicry and
gesticulation, so video telephony enables
deaf people to communicate in real time –
to see and be seen as if in person.
Of course, everybody can enjoy the
visual element of the new tech-
nology – a smile, after all, can
be worth a thousand words.
But for those who cannot hear,
3 has unlocked a door that pre-
viously was bolted, and they
are euphoric about it.
“As a hearing person, you
could not possibly
understand how big
3G is among
the deaf,” says
H e l e n a
Fremnell Ståhl,
I n f o rma t i on
Manager at Sveriges Dövas Riksförbund
(SDR), the Swedish National Association
of the Deaf.
3 has revolutionised Andy Lundberg’s
life. “Suddenly I feel free,” the 37-year-old
told local media in Sweden. “I was hesi-
tant about 3 at the start, but as more and
more people subscribed, I understood
that it would not be possible to be without
one. It is a milestone that has been passed
SIGNS OF
THE TIMES
Video telephony gives the deaf community something to smile about.
By Mark Caldwell
SPHERE 14