Internet video telephony allows speech reading by deaf individuals and improves speech perception by cochlear implant users.

Abstract

ObjectiveTo analyze speech reading through Internet video calls by profoundly hearing-impaired individuals and cochlear implant (CI) users.MethodsSpeech reading skills of 14 deaf adults and 21 CI users were assessed using the Hochmair Schulz Moser (HSM) sentence test. We presented video simulations using different video resolutions (1280 × 720, 640 × 480, 320 × 240, 160 × 120 px), frame rates (30, 20, 10, 7, 5 frames per second (fps)), speech velocities (three different speakers), webcameras (Logitech Pro9000, C600 and C500) and image/sound delays (0-500 ms). All video simulations were presented with and without sound and in two screen sizes. Additionally, scores for live Skype™ video connection and live face-to-face communication were assessed.ResultsHigher frame rate (>7 fps), higher camera resolution (>640 × 480 px) and shorter picture/sound delay (ConclusionWebcameras have the potential to improve telecommunication of hearing-impaired individuals.