Teri Wathen Shares How Mobile Captioning Keeps Her Going

Ya gotta keep moving!

Physicians tell us that regular activity keeps us healthy, happy and able, but what if your hearing causes you to doubt your ability to venture out safely and securely? Do like Teri Wathen does: adjust, adapt and adopt. Her mobile phone and mobile call captioning give her the freedom she demands in her life.

Hearing loss hasn’t slowed her down

As a ClearCaptions Mobile user and staunch proponent of the captions-where-you-go app, Teri has lived with hearing loss since childhood. Even though she wasn’t fitted with a hearing aid until age 12, she never let her condition get in her way.

“I used that hearing aid faithfully and also learned to read people’s lips. Later in life I became a high school teacher and then a state-contracted Hearing Loss Resource Specialist. And it wasn’t until I was in my fifties that I got cochlear implants.”

Technology plus customer service makes mobile captioning a perfect solution

While Teri doesn’t necessarily regard herself as tech savvy, she doesn’t shy away from learning the newest tech tools that can improve her situation (and, perhaps, allow her to share her discoveries to help others like her). And, although she jokes that “if you want to know about the latest apps, just ask a five-year-old,” her quip draws light to the fact that today’s technology often leaves older individuals feeling somewhat lost.

“The difference for me with ClearCaptions was the personal service—really! The [Customer Service Representative] came to my house, set everything up, made sure I could use the caption phone and hear with it properly. The ClearCaptions phone was more accurate than the other services I had used but, really, it all had to do with the person who installed it for me. It makes a big difference when you feel comfortable with that person…and I did.”

Teri successfully adopted caption calls, with audio enhancements the phone provides, into her daily life, but what about when she was on the go?

“I used the captioning phone at home for quite a while, but now I use the [ClearCaptions Mobile] app all the time. I’m on the go. I’m always somewhere else.”

Captioned calls offer more confidence in every conversation

As Teri discovered, captioned mobile calls bridged the gap and eased the difficulty of taking calls when she was in less-than-optimal settings.

“So, if I’m in a restaurant or any other public place with a lot of background noise, talking—and hearing—on a mobile phone is difficult for anyone, whether they have hearing loss or not. With captions, I can see what my caller says, and I can follow the conversation so much better. It’s a real stress relief to have those captions appear on my phone.”

Even in optimal settings, Teri has found the captions invaluable to ensure she’s always getting clear communication in any phone conversation.

“I often had trouble understanding what callers were saying—either I couldn’t quite understand their dialect or accent, or even when they just spoke at a fast rate where I couldn’t keep up. Seeing the words they say makes it easier for me to follow along. This was really important when I was making any sort of appointments. I could see the appointment details in the captions to make sure I got dates and times correct.”

Then there’s the technology boost. As Teri explains, this does even more to help her, at home and away, when using the mobile app.

“Because of the Bluetooth connection with my mobile phone, I can connect the phone to my cochlear implant, letting me make full use of those implants while being free from the distortions of all the background noise. This is why I’ve chosen to use the ClearCaptions app most of the time, no matter where I am.”

Mobile call captioning brings better living and greater freedom

Clearly, Teri has managed her hearing loss over the course of her life. She’s taken control of her situation, largely through her own research and use of hearing-assistive devices and services. Most important, she’s never been hesitant to work with others—service providers and hearing specialists—to ensure her lifestyle needs are met. As an energetic person who’s on the go, she’s continually seeking out the newest solutions and service providers that will keep her moving.

We’re pleased to see how Teri is showing us—and showing others—how to bring new technology into her daily life, allowing her to stay active and engaged. We can see, from talking with her, that she surely wouldn’t have it any other way. Bravo, Teri!