about technology and hearing loss in the real world
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- The Doorbell
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Sometimes I don’t understand the choices technology developers make in creating an accessibility feature for a device - especially when they design the feature so you must use the device in a different way than it would typically be used. The doorbell in my accessible room during a recent hotel stay is a good example.
My accessible room had a doorbell with a flashing light which was great since I typically can’t hear a doorbell ring particularly when I’m not wearing my hearing aids. Unfortunately, to make the light flash when using the doorbell, you needed to push and hold the button for several seconds. This isn’t how people typically use a doorbell.
During my stay at the hotel, I received a call from the front desk saying they had been pushing the doorbell to my room for some time, but no one came to the door. They asked if I would please answer my door. So, I said, “I understand that the doorbell is a new alerting device in the hotel. Have you been pushing and holding the button in for at least three seconds?” The person on the phone asked, “Why would we do that? I mean, it's a doorbell.”
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