Onstar and TTY Benefits
13 12 2007All..
Looks like a real cool product with helpful benefits. Has anyone tried it? If so, please comment and share your experience with us.
eyes open & thumbs up,
Ed
RT Admin
Ed’s Telecom Alert
POSTS ALERTS REGARDING TRS & ITS RELATED ISSUES
Polls
Issue: Should Video Phones be distributed FREE or be sold by VP Providers or VP manufacturers?
- RETAIL because purchasing will empower deaf/hoh and purchasing force them to take care of their VPs (30%, 55 Votes)
- FREE because of inequity between deaf and hearing in accessing telephone network (24%, 45 Votes)
- RETAIL because I don't want welfare mentality and we need to get out of that (16%, 29 Votes)
- FREE because I like FREE and do not want to purchase several different VPs (14%, 25 Votes)
- FREE because VRS providers can afford them, and I can't (10%, 19 Votes)
- RETAIL because too many free VPs and a few in closets not in use (6%, 11 Votes)
Total Voters: 184
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What about the many GPS units on the market with VOICE commands. Do any provide text commands on the GPS screen?
Note to Gary: The GPS in my planet-killing, gas-guzzling, SUV can be operated completely by the touch pad and on-screen keyboard. I saw a Sprint Relay representative two years ago with a GPS in his BlackBerry that was also operated from the keypad.
Note to Ed (and others) Can anyone verify the reason GM did this? Did some deafies sue them for lack of access and this new TTY access is part of the resolution of the lawsuit?
(jk-II)
It seems the TTY is modified to work with OnStar system only. That’s good.
My only main concern is that OnStar is restrict to TTY only. I think we should have an option to use our pager to contact OnStar Desk (both email and SMS). For example, if I am lock out, how can I make a TTY call if the TTY is inside the car? I would like to page OnStar Desk to get assistance.
Also, if my car battery is dead, I don’t think you can use the TTY without having power plugged in. While most (or all) TTY have a backup battery, I almost never replaced the backup battery every year. With this type of TTY, you’ll need to recharge it often — I am sure I’ll forget to do that.
I love this OnStar program for Deaf/Hard of Hearing — I think we need to enchance the program.
Jk-II,
My addled memory seems to remember something of a lawsuit that may have resulted R&D to meet the needs of deaf/hoh. Anyone care to remark on this?
Ed
Never thought I’d see the day that an auto manufacturer would be selling TTY’s either. I have to agree with David that this does not seem to be well thought out solution for today’s pager/cell phone carrying Deafies.
About the only features this would show great benefit for would be when your car breaks down and your stranded by the side of the road. If your locked out or your car is stolen, your out of luck, cuz I’m sure as heck no one wants to be carrying that equipment around in their purse or back pocket.
I think this is just another gimrick on GM’s part to appeal to a certain audience (specifically older/late deafened non-cellphone toting individuals) when in fact what today’s consumers want and need is better fuel economic engines and lighter, more areodynamic car materials to offset raising fuel costs. Their flexfuel program is just a bunch of bunk as E85 doesn’t get as much BTU out of it as regular unlead and is not a good solution. Of course, that’s another subject
Well in SC we have a blue and white sign *HP for hearing to call with their cellphone. The Deaf or HOH has no way to contact with their pager. SAD!!!! This is a blue and white truck from SCDOT that stop when a car is broke down and they will help you to get car moving.
Sorry to use this category but I havent seen anything about your comments on www.oovoo.com and its potential use by VRS? I know that CSDVRS and HOVRS have talked about “vmeetings” concept but yet have to seen it and yet with Oovoo already out and it is a great tool. Your thoughts?
Karen,
There are many video conferences out there. I’ve been asked that similar question before. I have tried a commercial video conference and used VRS with it. It works. As for www.oovoo.com, I don’t know if they accept VRS or not. Anyone out there know about this?
Ed
ooVoo looks promising as a program itself, the problem is that it’s yet another “walled-garden”. You can only use ooVoo software to connect to another ooVoo user. If it’s standards based there is nothing on their website that talks about interconnectivity with other video software and standards.
I have OnStar on my 2006 Chevy HHR. It will not work with a TTY. OnStar is voice activated system, including a built-in cell phone. I can press the red button without having to say a word and someone will be there for me. Although I have yet to use it. I have written to OnStar requesting the same rate be applied for Deaf and Hard of Hearing that is currently used for mobility disabled person. They have denied my request.
What is at a disadvantage with OnStar using the TTY, you have to stop driving to use it while hearing people can keep on driving to hear it. It also has the ability to tell you where to go in the event you get lost, like the GPS navigator system.
Frankly, I can not see using OnStar with TTY for any reasons.
Someone asked why GM was doing this. Few years ago, there was a law suit against GM for not making it accessible. Thus the idea of adding the ability to use a TTY with OnStar (you have to get both devices) came about. I had a chat with a deaf person who works for GM and OnStar and he agreed that it is not the best method for a Deaf person.
I have OnStar for emergency situation only. I have a portable GPS to navigate my way around.
Phil
Hard -of -hearing people ( not DEAF- users of ASL) who use the English language as their primary means of communication are denied accessiblity to On Star. There is an input jack ,but the car needs an output jack so that the t-coil on a hearing aid would enable the HOH person to use his hearing aid to understand the voice. We have sent men to the moon , but it seems no one can figure out how to create an On Star system for the 30 million hearing impaired people in the USA!!!!! This is a most disturbing situation .
GM,please reach out to the millions who would certainly benefit from this technology. DEAF people are a minority compared to the number of HOH
people who consider a tty inadequate and no solution to getting info while driving a car.
The TTY FAQ states that HCO or VCO is not provided at this time. Using the TTY would cripple use of many of the OnStar services for people who have partial hearing as they would be prevented from using some of the services while driving. TTY users wouldn’t be notified of incoming calls while the car is in motion, for example. That might make sense if the driver is alone, but if there’s an adult passenger in the car who could receive some calls, it’s unduly restrictive to prevent the display of incoming calls.
I use a built-in navigation system in my Prius which provides audio instructions in addition to visual instructions. I have a partial hearing loss; over time, I’ve learned to identify most of what the navigation system is saying, but the audio cues are very helpful for alerting me to when I need to make a turn even if I can’t understand everything that’s said. The navigation system also has a very limited menu of verbal instructions, so over time, it is possible to figure out the meaning of what’s being said even with severe hearing loss. I sure wouldn’t like all the audio portions of services to be disabled simply because of electing to use the TTY for cellular communications. OnStar appears to have assumed that everyone who needed a TTY would have no use for audio information, which is certainly a significant error. The majority of people with severe hearing loss who need a TTY could probably also benefit from being provided repetitive audio information that doesn’t deviate from established patterns (and if OnStar provided the text of these spoken directions, it would be even easier for hard of hearing people to recognize what was being said).
(I haven’t seen the navigation systems provided with OnStar; I would hope that there are visual displays of directions provided on the map similar to what I see on the navigation system for the Prius.)
Dana Mulvany
UMM I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY GREAT IDEA FOR SPACE TO CAR OR TRUCK BUT I HAVE ANOTHER IDEA IS THAT WHY NOT USE VEIDO PHONE PUT IN DASH AND THERE IS CAMERA FRONT OF STEELING WHEEL OR TOP OF TV SCREEN OF DASH SO IT WOULD BE NICE FOR EMERG SEE PERSON GET HURT ONE THING MY POINT IF REAL BAD ACCEIDENT HOW WILL TYPE TTY IF HANDS HURT ? MY SUGGEST IS SET UP FOR VEIDO PHONE ON SCREEN TV CAN SEE YOU FOR HURT PERSON USE GESTURE OR VEIDO PHONE EMERG CAN TELL YOU RELAX WAIT FOR EMERG ARRIVE AND ALSO ADD FOR STEAL FOR CAR OR TRUCKS IS BEST IS PROTECT IS USE CAMERA TAKE PICS OF YOU THAT WILL KNOW WHO IS OWNER AND THERE IS REMOTE EMRG FOR STEAL THEM THEY WILL GET CAMERA SEE YOU PERSON WILL BUST YOU AND GPS WILL FIND YOU BUSTED. FOR OUR OWNER VEHICE SAFTEY IS BESTEST. I HOPE THEY WILL MAKE IT BETTER AND BEST FOR 2009 OR 2010 OR AFTER FOR DEAF IDENIFY ID PICTURE WILL BE PROTECT SAFETY IN EMERG COMPUTER ID . WHY NOT SAVE OUR PAGER CAUSE GET IN ACCIEDENT NOT PAYATTENDENT AND VEIDO SAVE NECK YOUR ATTENDENT DRIVER IS BESTEST. HOPE SOON IN ASAP CHECK OUT WWW.SORENSON.COM WILL WORK WITH CAR OR TRUCK . AND SAFTEY YOUR CHILDREN LIVE IS MORE ATTENDENT. WHY NOT ?
portable gps devices…
Basically, what blue tooth gps does is take the gps device and sends a signal to your blue tooth wireless laptop or your PDA….