Access Symbol
Telephone Access: Is TTY Still
Needed?
by Rich and Stacie Diedrichsen
Just a generation ago the
only way for people who were Deaf or hard of hearing to use the phone
was to ask a hearing person for help. If the call was personal, this
meant someone else knew your private information. By the 1970s, a
variety of dependable Tele-Typewriters or Text-Telephones (TTYs)
were available. Unfortunately, these devices only solved the telephone
communication problem if you were calling someone or someplace that
also had a TTY, and very few did!
Today people with deafness and hearing loss have a variety of new technologies
to choose from; instant messaging (IM) devices, e-mail, telephone and video
relay services (available through the internet, phone lines or wireless devices)
and cell phones with text messaging. As a result, some people have decided
to get rid of their land line phones and rely on the new technologies for telecommunication.
Before you toss your old land line, however, there are some things you might
want to consider.
None of these new technologies
allow you to dial 911 and connect with your local emergency dispatcher. 911
calls made with cell phones go to a central location in the state, and your
name and address do not appear on the dispatcher’s
screen. With a land line phone you can ask to include information on the screen
to indicate that a person who is Deaf lives at the location and that emergency
personnel should not to rely on shouting to locate victims. Internet (VOIP
and video relay) phone services do not have the capacity to connect with 911;
you must know your local 10-digit emergency number to connect. Some wireless
devices can identify your location using GPS signals, but only if your battery
power lasts long enough for emergency workers to find you. Finally, in an emergency
the service for your wireless device may be down or out of service because
it is needed by the emergency services personnel.
So do you keep your land-line phone and TTY or rely on the new technologies?
That is a decision you have to make based on your own needs and concerns for
safety. When you do make the decision, you may want to consider the limits
of each technology and the benefits of having more than one option for getting
help or staying connected.
Rich Diedrichsen is Regional Manager of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services,
Central Region St. Cloud, MN.
