Michelle Stevens glides her fingers over a Braille keypad, and for the first time the deaf and blind Victorian is able to have good old phone chat with her sister.
"This is the first time in a very, very long time where my sister has been able to hear my voice and the conversation is translated into Braille (for me), she said, her face splitting into a grin.
"I have one thing to say - it's absolutely awesome."
Ms Stevens became the first person in the world to use a Braille Cap-tel phone on Monday at the launch of the Australian trial in Sydney.
The device, which connects a caption-displaying phone with a Braille reader, makes it much easier for deaf and blind people to make calls and have conversations.
Designed by US company Ultratec, it has been picked up by local non-profit Conexu Foundation, which will run a six-month $3300 trial for five deaf and blind people in NSW, Victoria and Queensland.
Ms Stevens, 58, said her condition has previously inhibited her conversations on the phone.
"Although I have a cochlear implant, when I'm on the phone I tend to ask people to repeat themselves again and again," she said.
She also believes the technology will help deaf and blind people out of isolation and aid them in the workforce.
"That remains a barrier ... how people are going to interact in the office on the telephone so I think with this we're giving deaf and blind people more independence in the workplace," she said.
The Australian trial will run alongside a US version, which has already gained interest from organisations including the Helen Keller School and the US Department of Veteran Affairs.
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