Technology brings the joy of radio to millions

Opinion

Friday, January 11, 2008

By Bob McCullough, Deaf Talkabout

Millions of people around the world miss out on the joys of radio because they are hearing impaired, and it was exciting to read a message from the internet technical channel that a system that translates radio into text will be launched at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

A consortium from National Public Radios is developing Radio for the Deaf, a counter intuitive system that translates speech radio into text.

At the moment this has to done by typists but could one day be automatic. The information is broadcast alongside the voice transmission on a small screen on the radio and they expect it to be up and running by the end of the year.

This, of course, is a form of voice-recognition, the technical Holy Grail which millions of deafened and hard of hearing dream of as the answer to their communication problems but is proving so elusive in bringing to fruition.

Apparently it's much easier to tune the technology of voice-recognition when only one speaker is involved.

This radio initiative may be a step along the way, but the panacea of full speech-recognition still stands tantalisingly beyond our grasp.

Last week I wrote about the new digital hearing aids and the incredible way manufacturers have been able to miniaturise the electronic components so that they pack into a device little bigger than a pea and are almost invisible when inserted into the ear. Cochlear implants are also being reduced in size and, even though the latest models have a greater number of sound receptors, I understand the operation to insert the device now requires less invasive surgery and a much shorter hospital stay.

All this concentration on technical and medical solutions to deafness is annoying a sizable section of the deaf community who say they have long ago come to terms with their profound deafness, are perfectly happy with the loss of one of their senses, and wish these medical people and other do-gooders would leave them alone to enjoy the happy life they have developed and the wonderful world of fellowship they enjoy with other deaf sign language users.

Matters came to a head last week when a national newspaper printed the story of a deaf couple who had made it known they wanted any baby they might have to be also deaf so that communication would be perfect from the moment of birth.

They would even be prepared to consider the implantation of the deaf gene so that this would come about.

Some readers were disgusted by the sentiments expressed, but there is no doubt that a sizeable section of the deaf community that have never experienced sound don't see or understand any advantages it might bring their children, and maintain that their family life would be much happier if they were all in the same boat.

There is no doubt that sign language has conferred wonderful benefits on a certain section of the deaf community and with the provision of skilled interpreters for further education and the greater ease of communication with doctors and other health workers has added much to the enjoyment of life.

But sign language users are far outnumbered by the hard of hearing and deafened population who want access to language without the help of any intermediary and this is why we wait impatiently for the Holy Grail of speech recognition. When and if this technology is perfected communication will be available almost everywhere with the convenience of a mobile textphone.