Phone Calls for Deaf & Hard of Hearing People

Last updated: March 10, 2026

Approximately 48 million Americans — nearly 15% of the population — experience some degree of hearing loss (Hearing Loss Association of America). For most of them, phone calls aren't just inconvenient — they're a genuine barrier to getting things done. Scheduling a doctor's appointment, disputing a bill, calling a government office — all of it assumes you can hear and speak on the phone. Mio changes that.

The problem with phone calls

The world runs on phone calls. And if you're deaf or hard of hearing, that's a problem you deal with constantly.

Relay services exist, but they come with real friction. TTY relay is painfully slow — every sentence gets typed out by an operator, read aloud, then the response gets typed back to you. IP Relay and Video Relay Service (VRS) are faster, but still awkward. There's always a third person in the conversation, which means pauses, miscommunications, and a dynamic that feels nothing like a normal phone call. FCC data shows that traditional relay service calls take 2-3x longer than standard voice calls, and approximately 30% of businesses hang up on relay calls (FCC Relay Services Report).

Then there's the part nobody likes to talk about: some businesses just don't handle relay calls well. Even though the ADA requires them to accept relay calls, plenty of receptionists hang up when they hear an operator, or get impatient with the pace. It shouldn't happen, but it does.

Captioned phone services help people with partial hearing loss, but they're not perfect. Captions lag behind the conversation, miss words, and struggle with names, addresses, and numbers — exactly the details that matter most when you're scheduling something or getting instructions.

The result? Many people with hearing loss avoid phone calls entirely. They wait for email responses that never come, drive somewhere in person for something that should've taken two minutes, or just don't follow up at all. Medical appointments get postponed. Bills go unresolved. It adds up.

How Mio works

Mio is an AI phone agent. You text it what you need — like you'd message a friend — and it makes the phone call for you using a natural-sounding voice. When the call is done, you get a complete written summary of what happened.

The whole interaction stays text-based on your end. No voice required. No hearing required. You type your request, Mio handles the conversation in real time, and the results come back as text you can read at your own pace.

There's no relay operator in the middle. No one listening in. The person on the other end of the line has a normal phone conversation — they don't know and don't need to know that you're not the one speaking. There are no awkward pauses, no "go ahead" prompts, no explaining how relay works to a confused receptionist.

Real use cases

Scheduling doctor appointments

Most medical offices still require phone calls to book, reschedule, or cancel. You tell Mio your doctor's number, your preferred dates and times, and the reason for the visit. Mio calls, handles the back-and-forth, and sends you a summary with the confirmed date, time, and any prep instructions. If they need to call back with availability, Mio can handle that too.

Calling government agencies

Social Security, the IRS, the DMV — these calls are long, complicated, and exhausting even for hearing people. For deaf and hard of hearing callers, they're worse. Mio handles the hold times, navigates the phone trees, talks to the agent, and brings you back the information you actually need. No 45-minute hold with a relay operator waiting alongside you.

Restaurant reservations and local businesses

Not every restaurant is on OpenTable. Not every small business has online booking. Sometimes you just need to call. Text Mio the restaurant name, date, time, party size, and any dietary needs. Done.

Insurance and billing disputes

Dealing with insurance companies means long calls with lots of back-and-forth about claim numbers, policy details, and coverage questions. These are exactly the calls where relay services break down — too many specific numbers and terms flying around. Mio captures everything accurately and gives you the full transcript to review.

How Mio is different from relay services

• Private. No third-party operator is listening to your medical, financial, or personal conversations. It's just you and the AI.
• Faster. Mio has a natural real-time conversation. No relay lag, no waiting for an operator to type or sign what was said.
• Invisible to the other party. Businesses interact with what sounds like a regular caller. No hang-ups, no impatience, no having to educate someone about relay.
• Works with any phone number. Landlines, cell phones, business lines, government agencies, international numbers — if it's a phone number, Mio can call it.
• Full written record. Every call produces a detailed text summary. No more relying on memory or incomplete captions.

Getting started

Getting set up takes about a minute.

You only pay for actual conversation time. No subscriptions, no monthly fees. The $5 free balance covers several typical calls, so you can try it before spending anything.