Alerting Devices

Alerting devices can be used to notify a person who is deaf or hard of hearing to sounds in the environment. An individual can be alerted to sounds like a telephone ringing, a doorbell or an emergency alarm through vibration or a light signal. A transmitter detects certain sounds and then sends a signal to a receiver that vibrates or blinks a light.

Why use an alerting device as a job accommodation? Alerting devices can be useful as a job accommodation to alert an employee who is deaf or hard of hearing to important sounds in the work environment. A visual or vibrating alerting device might be used to alert an employee to emergency signals like a fire alarm. The same type of device could be used to alert the employee to incoming telephone calls. An alerting device can be used as an important communication tool in the workplace.