FORT MYERS, Fla., July 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Retired NASCAR Driver
Richard "The King" Petty recently tested the Hearing Aid Telephone
Interconnect System (HATIS) giving it a thumbs up. The HATIS device
works in conjunction with a hearing aid to allow the hearing impaired
community access to wireless communications.
    "The HATIS device worked perfectly, no problems at all," said
Richard Petty. "You don't know how neat something like this is until you
lose your hearing," he added.
    After spending 34 years of his life racing, Petty has suffered
hearing loss in both ears and welcomes the development of technology
that gives the hearing impaired community access to wireless
communications.
    Palmer Wireless is offering the HATIS device free of charge with the
purchase of selected cellular phones in its Cellular One stores
throughout the Southeast in order to help some 30 million Americans with
hearing disabilities use cellular phones for the first time. Palmer
Wireless and Petty joined forces to help spread the news to the hearing
impaired community.
    "It's important that the hearing impaired community knows that HATIS
is available and by teaming up with a celebrity like Richard Petty
hopefully we can help get the word out," said Margaret Osborne, V.P. of
Marketing for Palmer Wireless.
    Dr. Earl Hartford of Starkey Laboratories located in Minnesota was
with Petty when he tested the HATIS. Hartford is also hearing impaired.
"HATIS worked extremely well for me and for Richard and it is definitely
a viable alternative for the hearing impaired community," said Dr.
Hartford.
    Armed with a cellular phone and HATIS, the hearing impaired
community can enjoy the security and personal convenience that cellular
users in the hearing community already have, Osborne added.
    HATIS works directly with any prescribed hearing aid that also has a
t-coil. The device enables people with up to 99% hearing loss the use of
wireless technology.
    Palmer Wireless Inc., headquartered in Ft. Myers, Florida with
regional offices in Montgomery, Alabama and Savannah, Georgia, owns and
operates 17 non-wireline cellular telephone systems in Florida, Alabama,
Georgia, and South Carolina covering a total estimated population of 3.7
million with over 227,400 subscribers. All of Palmer's systems are
Cellular One affiliates and members of the North American Cellular
Network.