I haven't looked into 2way pagers.  Neat idea you have there.  I don't have hearing aids, but should (spent the money on guns.[:D]).  I also don't know sign language, but I am thinking I should learn it before I am completely deaf.

Right now I am like a walking cell-phone ad.  Always mis-hearing the person and answering a question that they didn't ask.  Guessing on some words and answering the questions can really make you seem 'odd'... :)

Do not know source of my hearing loss, just been going away in the past 10 years.  I wear ear protection all the time when shooting, and I can pretty much understand what is said as long as there is _ZERO_ background noise.  Friends know to talk in my 'good ear' (right one), I hear 50% on that one, tested 30% on left, so b and d and t and p sound the same, m and n sound the same....  Ah well.

I'm in the same boat Brasspile.
HUH? Is the most used word in my vocabulary.

I should have figured from your Nick that you were HH/Deaf.  [rolleyes]  I guess I'm not too smart.

I'm not HH, nor Deaf, but due to shooting, loud college party music, and other issues, my hearing has dissipated about 3 db or so over the past 5 years.  People often have to repeat things.  That's why I like going to the shooting range, people usually have to shout then, and I can hear them, even above the guns.  My hearing isn't too bad at all, just ask some of the MN ARFCOM guys.  But I still have a hard time hearing low-toned or muffled speech.  It's a real problem for me.

I don't know much about pagers, but if you've already got a TTY, then why get the pager?  I know they're nice & convenient, but like cell phones can also be a pain in the ass.  I wouldn't want to be ticking away on a pager type pad while driving down the road or in the midst of a signed conversation with my friends, it's just rude, like interrupting stuff with a Cell-Phone.

I have been learning ASL for 1.5 years now at the University of Minnesota, and I have found it to be fun, interesting, and even helpful in my life.  I use it mostly when scuba diving, or across crowded rooms with my other friends (who all took 4 years worth of ASL).  It's fun, I highly recommend it.  It's not ENGLISH, contrary to my initial impression of ASL, but it's efficient, and convenient.

I was talking with a deaf person I met at a yuppie uptown bar last week, and helped translate a short conversation for him to one of the waitresses (a HOT blonde waitress no less).  He mainly was flattering her with complements on her looks, smile, etc., and would like to get to know her better, yadda yadda...  Well, with my half-assed translation, she gave him her phone number.  The guy was so happy he looked like he just won a $12 million lotto ticket.  (though with the way that girl looked, she might have been worth $12 mil if-ya-knowhatImean...)

You might like the pagers, you might not.  Some of my deaf friends like them, but 60% don't, they think it's a pain to have people writing them all the darn time...  [BD]  YMMV, My $0.02

-inuhbadnayburhoodlearningASL

Please tell me it doesn't take 4 years to learn ASL...  I don't have that kinda cash.  I guess it will be  bonus in another 10 years when I don't have to bring muffs to the range. [:D]

AFAIK, [b]Everybody[/b] speaks low-toned and muffled!