The 2026 State of the Phone Call Survey, which polled 1,000 U.S. adults, reveals that the struggle is not limited to those with hearing impairments. Nearly three-quarters of respondents admit to avoiding phone calls due to anxiety over poor audio, background noise, or difficulty understanding accents and pace. One in five Americans reports regularly struggling to follow live conversations, a frustration often shared by their immediate family members.

Olivier Jeannel, founder and CEO of Rogervoice, suggests that the industry has long miscategorized accessibility as a niche concern. Jeannel, who has been profoundly deaf since age two, built his platform to replace outdated systems with real-time captioning and searchable transcripts. While the app has facilitated over 10 million calls globally, the survey indicates that corporate environments remain stagnant, with 60% of respondents feeling that workplaces fail to provide the necessary tools for inclusive communication. As the demand for immediacy in healthcare and professional sectors grows, the gap between standard telecommunications and accessible technology becomes increasingly difficult to ignore.