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by Karen Nakamura (and Kevin McLeod)
This page lists some companies that sell products for the Deaf community. It was originally created by Kevin McLeod and is now being maintained by Karen Nakamura, but is still very much a work in progress. We have the following categories:
If you are looking for a general catalogue of Deaf related merchandise and books, my suggestion is to request the Harris Catalogue, below. It has the broadest reach of any of the catalogues I have seen, has prompt service, and reasonable prices (and no, I don't receive any money from them).
Amazon.com is also an excellent resource for finding and buying Deaf related books. Run "Deaf" or "American Sign Language" as search topics in their search engine. You can also try Gallaudet University Press.
There's also a section of the main Deaf Library page on Deaf Owned Businesses. Click here to go back up to the main Deaf resource library.
This lists various bookstores and retail stores that sell Deaf products. It's been compiled from various places and I haven't verified all of the entries. Caveat emptor. Please also see Les Wilson's letter at the end of this page detailing his experiences.
For another listing of Deaf businesses, see DeafBiz.
ADA Enterprises
9 Abbey Lane
PO Box 768
Middleboro, MA 02346
Tel: (508) 947.9880
Fax: (508) 947.2247
WWW: http://www.life-light.com/
Butte Publications, Inc. P.O. Box 1328 Hillsboro, OR 97123-1328 VOICE: 503-648-9791 FAX: 503-693-9526 E-mail:WWW: http://www.buttepublications.com
Communication Unlimited 9618 Oregano Circle Houston, Texas 77036 1-800-735-2988 (Relay) 713-271-7818 (TTY) 713-271-8709 (FAX) E-mail:
DawnSignPress is a Deaf owned and operated publishing company located in San
Diego, CA. We publish ASL instructional and Deaf culture educational
materials for the deaf and hearing, children and adults. Our most
recognized title is the Signing Naturally curriculum, which is the best
selling ASL instructional curriculum in the US and Canada. We also produce
and sell many other outstanding books, videos, and now, DVDs. Currently we
have approximately 60 titles in print.
DawnSignPress
6130 Nancy Ridge Drive
San Diego, CA 92121-3223
800-549-5350 V/TTY
858-625-0600 V/TTY
858-625-2336 FAX
comments@dawnsign.com
www.dawnsign.com
"Deaf Resources brings a large selection of unique, hard-to-find American Sign Language, Deaf products and gifts to the Web." -- from web site
WWW: http://www.deafresources.com/
DeafWorks
P.O.Box 1265
Provo, UT 84603-1265
TTY: (801) 465-1957
FAX: (801) 465-1958
RELAY: (800) 877-8973 (USA)
(800) 346-4128 (Utah)
WWW:www.deafworks.com
E-mail:
DeBee Communications 1709 South Braddock Ave. Pittsburgh, PA?15218 TTY: (412) 241-0545 FAX: (412) 241-0383 Voice: 800.654.5984 ext (412) 241-0545 E-mail:
DEAFWORKS manufactures TTYSCREENER and low-cost TTYs.
WWW: http://www.deafworks.com
Garlic Press specializes in educational material and has a sign language series
for children.
WWW: http://www.garlicpress.com/
Harris Communications
The Harris catalog is considered by many to be THE catalog of
Deaf related products including books and those oh so adorable/annoying
ILY bears. KM
I've personally had very good luck with ordering from them. They are fast, efficient, and very considerate. Two thumbs up! -- Karen
Harris Communications 15159 Technology Drive Eden Prairie, MN 55344-2277 1-800-825-6758 Voice 1-800-825-9187 TTY 1-612-946-0924 FAX 1-800-211-4360 VCO E-mail:
Hartling Communications, Inc.
44 Mall Road, Suite G17
Burlington, MA 01803
(781) 272-7634
(781) 270-6710 TTY
(781) 229-9161 Fax
WWW: www.hartling.com
Hear-More, Inc. P.O. Box 3413 Farmingdale, NY 11735. (516) 752-0738 v/tty (516) 752-0689 fax WWW: http://www.hearmore.com/
HITEC Group International
8160 Madison Street
Burr Ridge, IL 60561
(800) 288-8303 v/tty
(708) 654-9200 v/tty
(708) 654-9219 fax
WWW: http://www.hitec.com
NAD Bookstore 814 Thayer Avenue Silver Spring, MD 20910-4500 TTY: (301) 587-6283 Voice:(301) 587-6282 Fax: (301) 587-4873
NexGen Products
779 Circuit St.
Hanover MA 02339
Voice/Fax: +1 781 924 1059
Web http://www.nexgenproducts.com
NXi Communications
E-mail:
WWW: http://www.nxicom.com
WWW: http://members.aol.com/signfiesta/
Sign Media has been producing sign language instruction, Deaf culture, interpreter training materials since 1979. SMI's products are developed by Dennis Cokely,Ph.D. one of the top linguistic experts in this field, and Verden Ness, who has over twenty years of experience in the field of Deafness related television production. This team with the help of other notables in the field such as: MJ Bienvenu, Betty Colonomas, Charlotte Baker-Shenk, and Patrick Graybill, have produced over 350 titles.--Vendor's blurb
Sign Media, Inc.
4020 Blackburn Lane
Burtonsville, MD 20866-1167
Voice: (301) 421-0268
TTY: (301) 421-4460
Fax: (301) 421-0270
Orders:(800) 475-4756
WWW: http://www.signmedia.com/
Silent Connection was originally opened in 1995 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Silent Connection carried merchandise for hearing-impaired people such as alarm clocks and baby cry, TTY, and a wide range of books in sign or for sign language. Silent Connection also carried a large variety of t-shirts. Alphabet, friends and love t-shirts were the big ones back then. Due to losing our lease Silent Connection closed after almost two years.
Now eleven years later we are opening again. This time we are on the web were we couldn’t lose our lease. This time we are starting with
T-shirts and sweatshirts and hats. This way you can shop from the convenience of your home.
The objective of our business is to provide a high quality product at an affordable price. We hope you will enjoy visiting our web site and using our products as much as we enjoyed providing them for you. --Vendor's blurb
Silent Connection
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46835-4057
(260) 486-5635 V/TTY
http://silentconnection06.com
Sonic Alert
WWW: http://www.sonicalert.com
"Your direct source for a comprehensive selection of the very best products available to help you overcome your hearing loss [sic]. Whether you have minor or profound loss [sic], SoundBytes' products and services will enhance your communications." -- Vendor's blurb (I hate the "loss" part...)
SoundBytes
11 East 44th Street
New York NY
TTY/Voice: (212) 661-1777
E-mail:
WWW: www.soundbytes.com
Sound Choice Assistive Listening, Inc. manufactures the Model SC-186K Assistive Listening System, a high-tech portable infrared audio transmitter that provides an affordable ADA compliance solution for the hearing impaired. --Vendor's blurb
Sound Choice Assistive Listening, Inc. PO Box 843 Doylestown, PA 18901 USA Phone: 215-230-8600 Fax: 215-345-1389 WWW: http://www.eclipse.net/~synergy/soundchoice.html E-mail:
"We sell a wide variety of books and publications related to deafness, sign language, and Deaf culture. We are , however, probably best known as the publishers of "A Basic Course in American Sign Language" by Humphries, Padden and O' Rourke (the "ABC Book")." --Vendor's blurb
TJ Publishers, Inc.
817 Silver Spring Ave., Suite 206
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910-4617
Orders: (800) 999-1168 Voice/TTY
Information: (301) 585-4440 Voice/TTY
Fax: (301) 585-4440
Campus Connections National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) P.O. Box 9887 Rochester, New York 14623 (716) 475-2504 (tty?voice?)
CCmaker - G&G Video 1030 Congress Street Portland, ME 04102 800-527-0551 voice/tty (m-f, 9-5 est) 207-773-0316 voice/tty (m-f, 9-5 est) 207-773-0328 fax WWW: http://www.ccmaker.com E-mail:
DeafWide Services
Voice: 1-800-421-1220 (NY Relay) then ask for 516-364-3899 or 516-384-8710.
TTY: 516-364-3899 or 516-384-8710
Fax: 516-364-4612
E-mail:
"HyperSign is $95 for the Teacher's version. $79.95 for the Personal version. The only difference is that the Teacher's version has special utilities for creating student rosters and tracking student use of the program. Available for both Windows and Macintosh. Our website has a detailed description of the program." -- vendor blurb
Trinity Software Village Square, Suite 215 607 Tenney Mtn Hwy Plymouth NH 03264 Voice: 603-536-9661 Fax: 603-536-9951 e-mail:
For further information or questions, please feel free to ask:
Kenneth Kazmierski Kazy & Smitty Associates 1779 Algonquin Rd. Mt. Prospect, Ill 60056 847-981-8992 (tty) e-mail:
Date: Sun, 21 Apr 1996 23:30:44 -0700 From: Les Wilson (
Hello again, Karen!
Here's some information that you and others in the deaf community may find very useful.
As most deaf people are aware, there are many companies who cater to the deaf, but at outrageous prices. If you shop arould a little bit, and look at companies that do not cater to the deaf, directly, you will find the same items, but for much cheaper!
There is a company here in Rochester that caters to the deaf, and is owned by the deaf. Their prices are the most reasonable prices I have ever seen. For example, an Ultratec Superprint 4425, which normally sells for $499 in most places, can be had for $449 (and I think they are having a special now for $434), and it has free shipping. The name of the company is:
LS Systems, Inc. 1200-C Scottsville Road Rochester, NY 14624 1-800-598-1TTY (v/tty)
They also sell a variety of alarms, bed vibrators, signalling devices, fire alarms, and other deaf goodies, all at very reasonable prices. Call or write for a catalog. I have no affiliation with this company at all, except that I am taking ASL classes thru them over the summer. But their prices are good for a deaf company.
Speaking of TTY's, they can be obtained thru many local telephone companies for a very low price. Rochester Telephone sells the Ultratec Superprint 4425 TTY to their customers for $420, and for $352 if you are certified deaf. Perhaps _the_ lowest price anywhere for that TTY. They also allow to you purchase these units and have the cost billed to your phone bill, with payments spread over a 25 month period, interest free (in the case of the 4425 for a certified deaf person, works out to $14.08/mo). Contact your local phone company for more details (usually some form of "outreach" program).
For those looking for a good visual fire alarm, the best place to go for these is to a company who supplies the burglary/fire alarm industry. In a recent fire to a home owned by a deaf woman (see my letter to Karen elsewhere on this web-site), the fire investigation report stated that there was no smoke detector found, which is not unusual for a house with deaf occupants. These are also the good, commercial quality units made by companies such as Gentex. Here's a comparison of prices for a Gentex 710CS hard-wired smoke detector with 177 candela strobe and 90 dB alarm:
129.00 -- Harris Communications, Eden Prairie, MN 111.95 -- Hear More Products, Farmingdale, NY 109.00 -- LS Systems, Rochester, NY 95.31 -- William B. Allen Supply, Co., New Orleans, LA -- ($33.69 savings over Harris)
The William B. Allen Supply, Co. caters to the security industry, but is indeed the lowest price I have ever seen for these types of alarms. You can also find other stuff there that you may find useful, such as suveillance cameras (great way to keep an eye on the baby sleeping upstairs, or see who's knocking at your door), X-10 stuff, etc... They can be reached at:
Wm. B. Allen Supply, Co., Inc. 301-99 North Rampart St. New Orleans, LA 70112-3106 1-800-535-9593 (v) 1-800-444-1726 (fax)
So, the moral of the story is, don't buy from a deaf company who is just going to take advantage of your situation by reaming you with ridiculously high prices. While it is good to support the deaf by using their businesses, it is unfair for them to cash in on you. There are other sources to spend your income on, and at a better price.
These are a few companies that offer services to the Deaf and HOH: