How can I make my home safer if my child has hearing loss?

There are some pretty clever alerting and safety devices designed to make your home safer and more accessible. These devices use things like flashing lights, vibrations, or extra-loud sounds to help individuals who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing when someone’s at the door, the phone rings, or a smoke alarm goes off.

They’re especially helpful in those everyday moments you might not think about right away — for example, your child not hearing their alarm clock in the morning or missing the doorbell when a friend comes over. These devices help make sure your child feels confident and independent and can respond quickly when it matters most.

Here are a few alerting and safety devices to keep in mind:

• Flashing, vibrating, or amplified doorbell systems
• Amplified phones
  • There are also helpful phone settings and apps designed to make hearing a little easier. For example, Android users can use Google Sound Amplifier (the Sound Amplifier app is the Apple version), which boosts and clarifies the sounds coming from your phone — whether it’s a video, phone call, or something playing nearby. It’s a great tool for adding extra support in day-to-day situations.
• Vibrating and flashing alarm clocks
• Smarthome assistants with visual alerts
• Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors with visual and vibrating alerts

For more information, see our full article Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH) 101.