Hearing Dogs for Deaf People was started in America. In 1979, there was an international conference for vets. At the conference, they mentioned Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. A man named Bruce Fogle was at the conference. He was very interested in the Hearing Dogs. When he got back home he wrote to the RNID. Eventually enough money was found from several different places, and the first training center was set up. The first training center was at Chinook in Oxfordshire, and the project was launched in February 1982. Bruce Fogle is now the Vice-Chairman of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.
A man named Anthony Blunt was incharge of setting up the hearing dogs for deaf people operation. He was the first administrator and the first trainer. Anthony Blunt is now the Director General. Anthony had been a Police Dog Instructor for 30 years. Favour, Blunts dog, was the first Hearing Dog in this country. Favour was a rescue dog from the National Canine Defense League. When Favour was fully trained, Anthony traveled around the UK giving talks, demonstrations and raising money. The next 4 years he trained Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. In 1983, a hearing dog center opened in Lewknor. In 1986, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People became a charity. Although other companies now train service dogs for the deaf, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People was the first and has trained over 500 dogs since.
A deaf physicist named Robert Weitbrecht developed the TTY in the U.S. in 1964 out of a personal need. By coupling existing Tele-Typewriters, Weitbrecht made the first TTY. Which in the 1960s provided a very dependable tool. Another thing that lead to the success of the TTY is that it was accessible to non-hearing impaired persons as well.
1960s:The first TTYs that entered the world for general use in the 1960s were very heavy and big. They were also pretty expensive. In 1968, only three people in the Washington Metro area owned TTYs. Even those lucky enough to be able to afford a TTY had to get help to move it around.
