8/28/2003

"I recently ordered the motorola neck loop. (Shhhh) I do not LIKE it at all! TOO BIG AND TOO BULKY. And the neck loop part kept coming off every time I turn my neck. I am taking this one back and (ordering HATIS)."


name withheld by request


"Now that I am hands free for the phone, life has taken on a whole new meaning!! I shared my new toy with one of the local hearing therapists yesterday to great acclaim - she has a cochlear implant and could use my headset!"


MC
Lifestyles Coach
New Zealand



"HATIS is the biggest improvement I've had in my ability to use a telephone. I am a Private Fire Investigator and I conduct phone interviews several times a day."


Curt H.
Pleasanton, California


"I just received my new HATIS - Freedom Mach I. I could not wait to try it out so I immediately called my office to get my voice mail. All I could say is WOW. I was so impressed that I went to the nosiest restaurant in town to see if I could hear on my cell phone. The sound was as clear as if I were speaking with the person in a quiet room. The only problem I had was the person on the other end had trouble hearing me because the mic picked up all the room noise. (NOTE from HATIS Management: We are working on this for our next product update.) I am having my audiologist turn down the volume on the telecoil pickup because I have to tell others to not speak loud into their phone."


JWP
Technology Education Analyst
Driscoll Children's Hospital
Corpus Christi, TX



"Like many people with hearing loss, I wear hearing aids (BTE's to be specific). My hearing loss is not profound, but at 75dbs, I found it very difficult to use the telephone. Like many, I have listened to all of the promises from various companies, about how this product or that product will provide independence, especially on the phone. After many dollars and a lot of disappointments, I still had to rely on others to handle my phone situations. Personally, this is a problem, making me feel like a drain on my family. Career wise it can be very limiting and indeed can stop one's career dead in its tracks. In fact, I had one boss, who asked whether I had a brain tumor or something, because I got his directions completely wrong and did not get done what he was looking for. After I told him that I did not understand his direction, because I had trouble with the telephone, my job did not end, but my potential growth certainly was effected. Eventually
when it came time to decide who stays during a layoff, or who gets promoted, you can bet that this limitation will weigh heavily in that decision. After so many years building a career, the impact does effect one's ability to earn and eventauuly your ability to take care of your family. In employment, most of the communication is done by phone and employer's are
reluctant to risk an error due to a misunderstood direction or detail. There is so much that transpires in business by phone, that one's career can be cut rather short, by not being able to effectively use one and understand the details. My hearing aids have a telephone switch and in theory, this will allow one's use of the phone. The reality is that the straight phone source is always garbled and the quality so poor that it was better to have others cover the
phone and relay. At home, this is embarassing and at work, unworkable when you work in a business critical role.

I recently read a news story about the HATIS product and read where Verizon cell phone company was selling them. The story indicated that the product would allow folks like me to use not just cell phones, but also other electronic devices, including other phones, walkman CDs, etc., where a standard headphone plug is used. More than this, it indicated that I could hear it clearly through my hearing aids on the telephone setting and at a reasonable price. I thought it was too good to be true. But in not wanting to leave any stone unturned, I persued it. What you said was absolutely true and the product is performing much better than I even imagined it would. I have no reservation recommending this product to anyone who asks me about it. It does everything your company says it will do. Not only have I been able to have my own conversations, but I can hear every word and understand the conversation clearly and completely, through both my home phone and my Verizon cell phone. As a professional, the decisions that I make are directly related to my understanding of the details. Not only am I able to understand others talking with me. But, with the boom microphone, I can hear myself clearly as well, making it easier to adjust my speech volume and diction. The HATIS product allows me to hear and understand every word. No repeats and no misunderstandings. From the other end, there is no distortion of dropped sounds. Clarity on both ends.I'm used to adapting for my hearing loss through properly placed mirrors and positioning my office arrangement for better lipreading. I make use of closed caption devices, lights and vibrator alarms, etc. However, until now, there just has not been an adaptive device that would bring the telephone into full use. The HATIS product does this. I recommend the HATIS product and your company, without reservation. If a person has a hearing loss (10%
to 15% of the population) and wears hearing aids with telephone switches, get the HATIS. They would not be disappointed. It is both versatile and effective and actually does what it was designed for. You can bet that where
ever I go, it will go. More than working well, the system is light and comfortable. The model I'm using fits comfortably between my Hearing Aids and my head. It does not cause me any difficulty or soreness, where normally my ear would be sore, after sandwiching my ear between the hand set and my hearing aids. It plugs directly into my cell phone and I have
comfortable hands free use. The best part is that it works and works extremely well. I can not say enough good things about the product.

In both business and in our home life, the use of the telephone is extremely important. From being able to talk with older adults to see how they are doing, to making critical health and business decisions, to just being able to hear my children's voice and hold a personal conversation with them; the telephone is critical. In my case, the ability to converse with my business calls is critically important to the welfare of my family and directly effects my earning and participation capacities. I'm here to tell anyone and everyone that the HATIS system does exactly what it says it will do. This has eliminated this limitation in both my working and my home life.

I appreciate your support and your risk in bringing this product to market. There are millions of people who need your product. If you have anyone who would like to verify my experience, I would have no difficulty talking to people who are interested in eliminating this limitation in their lives as well. Please feel free to give them my phone number.

Thank you again and if I can be of help to you, please do not hesitate to call."

Rob Abbott,
Oregon Ciry, Oregon



"The (Governmental Agency) has completed it's testing of the HATIS Dual Director and the results were outstanding. It did so well in the testing that the user was reluctant to return it because of it's impact.

Therefore, ITG has submitted a proposal for the Single and Dual headset to the (Governmental Agency) earlier this week and I expect that it will get added to the contract relatively quickly due to the positive affects it had. I think that the HATIS product line will expand beyond your current market areas."

Patricia V. Zawasky,
Program Manager,
Integrated Technologies Group, Inc.
Department of the Treasury,
Small Business Partner of the Year - 1999



"I got (HATIS) today and tried out the "New" Freedom Single and loved it. It works better than Nokia LP3 or Nokia LP1. I have 80% hearing loss since birth and struggle with hearing on phones especially cell phones. The neckloop sometimes works best used as a headloop by placing the loop right next to the hearing aid itself. With HATIS, I don't have to do this anymore. I use HATIS at home, work and mobile phone. On the mobile phone, other people noticed that I am on the phone with HATIS whereas with neckloops, people give a weird look like wondering who are you talking to since the phone is not near your ear. Your product is improved with earpieces now being permanently connected and you can't lose the earpieces anymore. Last important thing HATIS excels at is that it has NO batteries. That is very important since I have to carry batteries for my hearing aids (two) and Nokia neckloops (three). I (went) through batteries like water. Not anymore with HATIS. It is a great product and every hard of hearing and vocal deaf person should have one. I am already saving my money for the HATIS Director for home and office use."

Jason Clark


"I received my Hatis Director Dual on Tuesday. and I can't tell you how thrilled I am! It's everything "as advertised," and more than I hoped for!

My children call me every afternoon to let me know when they arrive home from school. Tuesday, after a few minutes my daughter said, "Hey! What's going on? You're actually TALKING to me?" What a wonderful change!

Thanks so much for all your help!"

D.
Illinois



"I am hearing impaired and currently working in the Assistive Technology Team at the Social Security Administration. I am a computer specialist and a TDD/TTY Technology Specialist for deaf and hearing-impaired employees.

Telephone conversations and conference calls are the biggest problems I have. Before I bought the HATIS® product, I was not able to understand telephone conversations and calls. Using the telephone amplifier does not help me at all. The telephone amplifier does not give a clear sound, just a loud sound. When I adjusted the telephone amplifier to my comfort level, the speaker on the telephone handset has a decibel level that does not match my decibel level. As a result, I have a difficult time understanding what others are saying over the phone. I even bought new programmable hearing aids, which didn't help either. I called so many places for information and got no help. I thought I would have to give up and I was getting very frustrated.

I found out about HATIS product through their website. When I got the HATIS Freedom Dual Headset there was a smile on my face when I spoke to my team leader for the first time over the phone. I can understand her 100%! On that day, I could not stop calling everyone I know. I even used my cellular phone! I have used a NOKIA neck loop for cell phone calls but am not happy with it. After twenty minutes of conversation, the batteries in the neck loop die and I have to replace them. With the HATIS product no batteries are needed. There is no buzzing sound, no distortion and no feedback. I use the HATIS product not only for phone use, but also for listening to music from my stereo, TV and movies. I recommend this product as the best for Hearing Impaired people who want to hear the true sound of the world and who want to understand everything. You cannot find any other product better than this one. Trust me, it took months for me to try different products and HATIS products are the best."

John M. Warren
TDD/TTY Technology Specialist
Assistive Technology Team
Social Security Administration

"I'm sure you've received many better superlatives for the HATIS, but WOW is all
that comes to mind presently. This device is amazing. The clarity of sound is
1,000% better than anything I ever had using the t-coil alone with the handset.
No humming...no static. Cannot thank you gentlemen enough."

N. Slattery
Software Engineer
New Jersey

"My firm recently furnished me with your [Director] headset.

It really is the difference between day and night. Your Director Dual has made speech clear and understandable.

I am legally deaf, but with your unit, I turn the ATT Call master to its lowest volume, the Plantronics adjustable double prong volume to its lowest setting, and in addition, I turn my two behind the ear hearing aids to their lowest setting. Using such a low volume makes it possible to eliminate the radiation from the thousand or more computers in our area, which created the usual buzz in the headset.

Please accept my congratulations on the product, and I only wish I had it twelve years ago. I am 84 years young on the road to 100."

R.A.
Cincinnati, OH

"I attended the SHHH convention last June and was thrilled to learn about HATIS® and the HATIS Lite. Upon returning home, I ordered a HATIS Lite, and I've been using it constantly. For the first time, I can use my hearing aids with phones, and I now have a cell phone also."

D.H.
Mobile, AL

"I wanted to thank your team for making HATIS available to myself and others who truly benefit from it. It has changed my life in ways I could never imagine. As an individual with profound, bilateral sensorineural deafness, I never thought the day would come when I could buy a cell phone! HATIS has opened up a whole new world for me-a world I could never imagine before, but it's here now and filled with wonders of possibilities.

For the first time ever, I don't worry about how I will call for help if my car breaks down. It is such a nice, peaceful feeling and makes driving much more enjoyable. Thanks!"

Ian Portnoy
Los Angeles, CA

"I just want to take the time to tell you how pleased I am with my new HATIS® Director headset. It is exactly what I needed to be capable of doing my job as a Consultant with Verizon Communications. I spend all day on the telephone, and was thrilled to find a solution to my hearing loss challenges. The sound quality is superb, and the headset is extremely well made.

I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to continue to do my job. HATIS has solved that concern with great ease.

Thank you so much for making this wonderful product available to those of us with a hearing loss."

Leslie Phippin
Verizon Communications Consultant
Salisbury, MD
"The HATIS® device worked perfectly, no problems at all. You don't know how neat something like this is until you lose your hearing."

 Retired NASCAR Driver
Richard "The King" Petty
"Approximately five years ago, I was coaching our Provincial & National team members at the U.S. Open Judo Championships and Training Camp, which is an international event being held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. While there, I stumbled across an article about HATIS®. I immediately purchased two devices, one for my cell phone and one for my walkman. I also use this device with my CD player, computer, television and with a special adaptor, I have used this device on an airplane and have been able to watch movies and listen to music. My two HATIS® devices are one of my most prized and protected possessions and I have both of them on me all the time."

B.Z.
Ontario,CANADA
"As a physician with a significant hearing loss, but functioning with two Phonak behind-the-ear aids, I rely on my digital pager to give me calls, phone numbers, etc. The only gap in my system was using a cell phone. For me to hear anything on a cell phone, I had to remove one of my aids, use the phone at full volume and hope there was no background noise.

HATIS® is the best phone sound transmission I have heard in many years. I can slip the ear part behind one of the aids, change to T-mode and talk away. If it's noisy in the area, I just turn off the other aid...some states are trying to pass legislation against using hand-held cell phones while driving and HATIS® solves the problem with a true hands-off system."

S.K.
Amherst, NY
"HATIS® gave me a real 'ear-opening' experience! For the first time in my life, I was able to communicate on a cell phone with ease. All I had to do was hook up and talk. With HATIS®, I actually found myself turning my hearing aid down and enjoying a phone conversation with a relative 3,000 miles away. I was able to use both ears rather than just one, allowing the hearing-impaired listener to take advantage of binaural hearing advantage. HATIS is a much needed assistive listening device that will change the way people with severe to profound hearing losses communicate by phone."

 Samuel R. Atcherson, M.Ed.
Ph.D. Student-Audiology
University of Memphis
"After many years of experience, there is only one hearing aid-telephone compatible system which we have found to be universally acceptable for all degrees of hearing loss. We found the Hearing Aid Telephone Interconnect Systems (HATIS®) to be the most versatile and effective system available for severe to profound hearing losses."

 Pamela L. Ball Ed.D., CCC-A
Clinical Audiologist
President, Golden State Audiology Associates
"At 39, I lost another 35 decibels of hearing last year, after being hard-of-hearing for many years. I got new hearing aids and for the first time, t-switches. The telephone was just a frustration. I turned my phone up to maximum and still could not understand conversations. I was ready to throw away telephones and go VCO (voice carry over using relay service).

I went to the ALDAcon (Association of Late Deafened Adults convention) in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Of course, Nokia had their loop, but I didn't want to be restricted to only having a Nokia. Motorola's loop did not work with my non-Motorola brand of phone. I searched the internet and found a special needs site...I used HATIS® for the first time and my friends on the other end of the phone knew something had changed drastically. I could carry on a conversation again. I use my HATIS on my cell phone and at home everyday."

M.A.
Brandon, FL
“I want to tell you that it’s so important for the President to encourage the development of new communication technologies which are improving the lives of people with disabilities and other Americans. As a matter of fact, I’m using one of these technologies (HATIS®), which is a hearing aid device, and I put it behind my hearing aid so that I can hear you better, and it’s really neat, and I can talk to you right now, and everybody can hear it.”

Miss America, Heather Whitestone, using the Fujitsu Persona and HATIS® while receiving a call from First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton

September 13, 1995, Atlantic City, New Jersey
"HATIS® gives the hearing impaired community access to emergency communications and allows them to have the security and personal convenience that cellular users in the hearing community already have."

Bill Ryan
President and CEO, Palmer Wireless, Inc.
"As a military veteran with a 80% hearing impairment, I would like to call attention to a device I recently discovered. I believe the VA should emphasize its distribution and use throughout its hospitals and agencies. The device is the Hearing Aid Telephone Interconnect System. For the past twenty years, the VA has provided me with many devices that have worked marginally at best. Recently, I was introduced to HATIS®. It allows the hearing impaired and deaf to use telephones, TVs, stereos, computers or anything that emits electronic sound. At first I was skeptical, but when I tried it, I heard clearly for the first time in twenty years. Since then, I have retrofitted my telephone handset and am now able to carry on a legitimate conversation without any assistance or relay. My quality of life has improved tremendously and I can't tell you how much I look forward to retrofitting my television set."

J.H. Major, USAF (RET)
"I think [HATIS®] designers refined existing [loop] technology and have a very useful product. The HATIS system does produce much better quality sound reproduction. I function quite well with aids, but find the stereo, etc is difficult and that is where the HATIS systems help. With HATIS, I have the flexibility of going anywhere and knowing I can adopt the phone system to my use. That is the real value of the system, the portability. Like aids in general, it is one more way to make living with hearing loss more tolerable."

 R.I. (Prodigy Bulletin Board)
"After speaking to you on the phone, I am still in a state of "awe" and gratitude. As a hearing-impaired person, my loss is profound in one ear and approximately 40% loss in the other. And I have experienced feelings of alienation, helplessness, and fear that accompanies a hearing loss, until the night that I was introduced to HATIS®.

I take the trolley to work and park my car at the trolley station. During the winter months, often I arrive back at my car after dark and I never had a way to contact help in case of car problems, etc. I often longed to be able to carry a cellular phone with me as a security measure. Thanks to HATIS, I now have my personal cell phone and a feeling of security that I have not experienced in years. I can't help but sing the praises of HATIS®. I want so much for other hearing-impaired people to find this wonderful system and enjoy this new adventure in the world of independence and security. Thank you for being who you are and benefiting so many people."

C.C.
Chula Vista, California
"I would like to first take a moment to sincerely thank you for your generosity in supplying our employee K.M. with a HATIS® Freedom. K.M. has been using this device and has been quite happy with the results. We look forward to doing business with you in the future and we wish you the best of luck and the success you so rightly deserve."

Grace Smith
Michigan Jobs Commission
"I've been in the hearing health field for over 30 years, and must say, I believe your device will be a welcome addition to the tools we have to work with in our attempt to help the hearing impaired."

M.Duncan MacAllister, Ph.D.
President, Emtech Laboratories Incorporated
Roanoke, Virginia
"I am a physician, age 52, who was ready to go on disability about 4 years ago until I got the new Phonak system. The only missing link was the cell phone since if I had to make calls on the road, I had to take out the aid, use the phone at max volume and hope I didn't make any mistakes with patients. With the HATIS® Freedom, I bought a Motorola Startac to replace my old cell phone and was able to drive home, talking and hearing beautifully."

S.K.
Encino, California
"I want to update you on how the HATIS® cell phone system is working for me in Charlottesville. I've purchased the MicroTecII phone to use with HATIS®. The match is perfect. Now, I don't worry about missing a call or getting caught in a bind without access to a telephone. As Vice President of the Charlottesville Men's Senior Baseball League, a Little League baseball coach, and a Cub Scout leader I virtually live on the road from one activity to another (not to mention frequent job-related day trips). In other words, I now have the same capability to use cell technology that everyone else does.

Actually, using HATIS is an improvement in many ways over conventional cell phone use. Since I don't have to hold the phone next to my ear while driving, I have full vision while talking using HATIS. Because of the placement of the microphone, I can lay my cell phone across my lap when in use, which leaves both hands free. Hence, HATIS is quite safe and easy to use in traffic.

Finally, I'm not waiting for the next generation of assistive listening devices to surface, because HATIS is the next generation. When signal strength is average to strong, I have better reception than on many conventional telephone hand sets.

In closing, HATIS has been a godsend. It's affordable, convenient, and works well--everything I could want in a product. Plus, it gives me (a hearing impaired person) the opportunity to make full use of the same cellular communication that the hearing world takes for granted. Thanks... You hit a home run this time."

T.E.
Charlottesville, VA
"Telephone communication has always been a struggle for me. I have experienced all stages of hearing loss throughout my life, from mild to profound loss. As my hearing continued to deteriorate, I accumulated a "museum" of assistive devices to enable me to have meaningful telephone communication. I do my best to stay informed of advances in telephone technology for persons with hearing loss. But wireless phones...they gotta be kidding???!!! I confess, I entered into this [cellular] test with an attitude of skepticism. Hearing is believing! My successful and pleasurable experience with the HATIS® device has enhanced the quality of my personal and professional life in ways I could only dream of. Having access to wireless technology which I can use anywhere in meaningful, pleasurable communication experiences is liberating."

J.A.