Telephone Devices for the Deaf TTY

Telephone Devices for the Deaf TTY

TTY stands for teletype writer. It is also sometimes called a TDD, or Telecommunication Device for the Deaf or text telephone. TTY is the most widely accepted term however as TTYs are used by many people, not just those who are deaf. When it comes to TTY’s there are three options that can be used by individuals who are deaf:

Voice Carry Over or VCO phones are mainly used by late deafened adults who are accustomed to carrying out voice conversations. VCO phones allow the deaf user to speak responses while reading what the other person says on the built in screen located above the dialing pad. These phones are useful as they operate similar to regular phones and often have built in features like sound amplification to assist hard of hearing individuals. VCO phones rely on the national 7-1-1 relay service which I will discuss in a minute.

The second option for TTY communication is a text only option. These devices consist of a built-in keyboard, a text line display and can hook directly to a telephone line connection or have receivers for a telephone handset. The process for using these devices is simple. The sender types their message and the party on the receiving side reads the message on their device and responds by typing a message back; all transmission is carried out over standard telephone lines. For calls made to or from a regular phone, the 7-1-1 service is utilized.

The 7-1-1 relay service is provided by telephone companies and can be accessed for free from anywhere in the US. The relay service is used to make calls to or from a VCO or Text TTY by dialing 7-1-1 and telling the operator the number and type of call you wish to place. The 7-1-1 operator will then – depending on the type of call - either speak or read the Senders message to the receiving party and communicate the response back either verbally or with text. This process allows TTY and regular telephone users to communicate fairly efficiently no matter what type of TTY is being used.

Some TTY’s, like the Ameriphone pictured is a combination device with both VCO and TTY functionality along with features for other users like hearing carry over.

USING THE TTY

There are two ways to connect a TTY, either directly or acoustically

When using Direct Connect devices, the TTY plugs directly through a wire to the phone or wall jack and allows the TTY to essentially "becomes" the telephone, allowing users to dial directly from the TTY. To connect to a cell-phone in this manner you must have a TTY compatible cellphone.

The second option is to connect a TTY Acoustically
This is accomplished by using a regular telephone to dial the call and then placing the handset on the acoustic couplers of the TTY, or as pictured placing the portable TTY over the speaker of the handset.

TTY Add on Device

There are various add on accessories for TTY’s.

External displays are good for individuals with low vision or for those uncomfortable with the small text display on most TTY’s.

TTY SCREENER devices will filter out speech calls by sending a verbal message to the caller asking them to hang up and first dial the relay service

The Ultrasilent device was designed to mirror a voice processing system and can be used in conjunction with a business or organizations verbal voice processing and call management system.

Some TTY’s like the one pictured in the middle have built in printers. These are very common – especially on older models. Printers are good to have for devices that don’t have any text storing capability or for users with TBI’s or memory problems. Caution should be used when purchasing a TTY without a built-in printer. Some models like the Ameriphone Q90 pictured advertise the ability to add an external printer, yet the external printer is no longer manufactured and nearly impossible to locate.

Computer Based Communication

MYTTY or Nextalk are examples of software that enables a computer to act as a TTY. This is handy as it allows users to avoid the cost of a TTY unit and allows them to use a computer screen for their communication which is bigger than those on a standalone TTY. These services allow users to make calls from TTYs and other computers that have TTY software.

Internet Relay and Video Relay Services work with computers through the internet. These services behave much like the traditional 7-1-1 relay used with standard TTY and telephones but give the users more mediums of communication beyond just text or voice communication.

Examples of internet relay services include (ip-relay.com, i711.com, AT&T, Hamilton, Sprint)

Video Relay Service is a fast-growing service used by deaf and hard of hearing consumers because it allows them to sign to a real-life interpreter over high-speed internet who then communicates between the caller and a third party. It also gives users the option of connecting directly with the person they’re calling through video.

Examples of video relay services include Sorenson, Sprint, AT&T, CAC, ZVRS, Hawk, Hands On, Snap!, Sprint, and URrelay)

With the wide-spread use of the internet and cell-phones, instant messaging and email have become the technologies of choice for many users with hearing impairments. For those without a cell-phone there are services that offer free text messaging over the internet like textem.net.

For those with a cell-phone, Push based service can be utilized to alert you when you receive a new email. The service alerts your cellphone when you receive a new email. You then have the option of checking your email and replying with your phone or computer.

Daily Living

There are numerous devices available to assist with daily living. I would encourage any of you who are interested in this section of Deaf AT to visit abledata.com, as the site has an eclectic listing of what is available. I will spend a few minutes going over some of the general categories of AT for individuals who are deaf.

There are numerous systems available to alert individuals when someone is at their front door. There are signalers for the doorbell, door breach alerts and the foot pressure sensor pictured on the slide.

There are severe weather alerting systems designed for the deaf. These systems will blink or vibrate after receiving the weather alert.

Telephone flashers are an important daily living item. They work with any phone, and will turn on and off quickly to alert an individual who is deaf or hard of hearing that the phone is ringing. This flashing system is also used for other alerting purposes.

Fire and carbon monoxide alerts are available in different forms. Usually the devices will have a standard unit to detect the smoke or monoxide and then there will be a secondary unit to receive the alert and signal the individual by flashing a light or vibrating a device that can be placed under a pillow for night time use.

Combination devices will incorporate several of these daily living devices into one combo unit like the Alertmaster pictured. These systems can also incorporate a wireless unit that is clipped to the waist which will flash a light or vibrate to alert you that something is occurring. Another good feature these units have is a microphone on the base unit that will detect any recurring or sustained noise and send out an alert, again through flashing lights, audio cues or vibration.

ADA compliance kits are available from some of the manufacturers of these devices that include an entire set of these items.

Something I came across in my research is a new device called a Vibering. I thought I would talk about it briefly as it is an interesting device, but also demonstrates how critical it is to be aware of new inventions and technologies that may help people with disabilities.

The “Vibering” was designed to help the deaf by housing a sound detection and identification system in a pair of rings and a wristwatch. The rings are to be worn on both hands and are the ears that not only listen for sounds emanating from behind, they also determine distance, position and vibrate according to source. The wristwatch aspect identifies the sound wave and presents this information to the wearer in an easy to read display. The watch is programmed to listen for certain key phrases from humans like “Excuse Me..”, your name being called and any number of car noises including the most important one, a car’s horn. The device means to give the deaf some extra sensory and protect them from being hit by a car.

Another interesting new device was designed in Japan and meant to be used as an alternative smoke alarm. When it detects smoke, the silent smoke alarm will spray canned wasabi extract into a room; initial tests have shown it to be effective enough to wake up 13 out of 14 test subjects within 2 minutes.

Aids to Assist with Driving

Computer Aids Software – Speech to Text

Speech to text capability can be handy in various situations and settings depending on the situation.

The software listed on this slide (Dragon products, Phillips free speech, macspeech, IBM’s vias voice and windows/mac speech recognition) are the mainstays of the speech to text market. The price of this software varies, but it is good to note that Windows and Mac both come with free speech to text software.

The speech to text software itself is designed to do two main functions; the first is to dictate text into say a word document or email. The second is for communicating with the computer and giving it commands. Most programs will do both functions, but some are geared more for one or the other and this should be taken into account before making a purchase.

Computer Hardware Aids

Listed on this page are some of the computer hardware aids available to assist the deaf population. These devices use a combination of hardware and software to achieve certain communication functions.

The Icommunicator – is designed to fill several different roles. It will provide speech to text, speech to video sign language, speech to computer-generated voice, and text to computer-generated voice all in real time or close to real time.

Speak N Read – converts Speech to text for one-on-one communication.

The UbiDuo – is a text-to-text device where users communicate by typing and reading with up to four users wirelessly. These devices have been used successfully for communication in businesses between employees and customers who are deaf.

The Interpretype – is a laptop computer that enables communication between devices via text, video and speech. It will also connect to internet relay services including video remote interpreting.

The SignTel Interpreter – enables automated speech or text conversion to Sign Language

Wireless listening systems

Induction Loop
Advantages - No special equipment is needed by people using telecoil equipped hearing aids. These systems are relatively inexpensive and easily installed in the desired location.

Disadvantages - Individuals must sit within the loop to receive the signal and must have either a telecoil equipped hearing aid or a loop receiver. The sound quality is uneven and there may be "dead spots" within the loop. There is a chance or interference from lighting fixtures that would reduce clarity. Systems for large areas are complicated to install and require high-powered amplifiers.

Infrared
Advantages - This type of system is easy to operate and there is no problem with electrical interference. Sound quality is good for persons with mild to moderate hearing loss. Signal will not travel through walls and around obstacles - this makes this type of system very good for confidential conversations.

Disadvantages - Since the transmission signal is a light beam, other light sources may cause signal interference (sun light, fluorescent lights, etc.) Receiver must be in the line of sight of the transmitter to receive the information (just like your remote for your TV).

FM Radio Waves
Advantages - Within the transmission area, sound quality is excellent and individuals are free to sit where they want, as well as more around. The device is not susceptible to electrical interference. This type of system will also transmit through walls and other obstacles.

Disadvantages - The initial equipment costs are higher than some of the other systems. Also, access to the system is limited to the number of receivers available. The signal will travel through walls and obstacles, which may be an advantage in some situations and a disadvantage in others.

Amplification Devices

Captions

Captions display spoken words as printed words on a television screen.

Open captions are added to the video and may be viewed on all television sets, without a decoder.

Closed captions require specialized circuitry within the television or in a set-top decoder box to be seen. Closed captioning displays the dialogue, narration and sound effects of a video program as words on a television screen, similar to subtitles on a movie.

There are various ways to create your own captions including dotsub.com, youtube.com, IBM ViaScribe, CC JR, Magpie. Dotsub and youtube are web-based services that allow you to upload a video and caption it. Youtube has recently introduced an automatic captioning function that uses speech recognition to caption videos for you.

Real-time captioning couples the skills of a court stenographer with computer technology like rapidtext software to convert the stenographer’s code into regular text in real-time. These services can be supplied in person or remotely over the internet and are good for classroom or meeting settings.

ICART or THE INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR ACCESSIBLE RADIO TECHNOLOGY is an interesting captioning initiative that aims to make radio accessible by providing real-time radio captioning. It is still in an early stage but has been used successfully for events of national import like the 08 presidential elections.

Classroom setting

Audisee

Public AT

Public places must provide TTYs when phones are available for the general public. At least one TTY should be installed in shopping malls, hospital waiting rooms, stadiums, convention centers, airports, or any building with more than four pay telephones.

Along with the amplification devices offered by movie theatres for hard of hearing individuals, some theatres provide Rear window captioning. An adjustable Lucite panel attaches to the viewer's seat and reflects the captions from a light-emitting diode panel at the back of the theatre.

Keep in mind that if you need accommodations you must let businesses and service providers know what you need. Be your own best advocate and get the assistive technology you need!

OAM

Laser cane – The user moves the cane in front of them, similar to a standard cane, and it emits infrared beams, which detect obstructions and drop offs. When something is detected, small pins under the users fingers project and vibrate to warn the user of the obstacle.

Other examples of O&M products include Braille maps, global positioning devices, Braille or talking compasses, as well as electronic navigation aids. A Braille map looks like a standard map but has raised areas to provide tactile feedback to someone without sight. These areas can have different textures to stand for different things (water can be a raised wave, walls would be solid lines, doorways would be dotted lines, etc.). Global positioning devices relay information to the user about where they are currently located and directional information of desired locations with great accuracy. These devices, which were very expensive, have come down considerably in price making them affordable for many people.

Braille compass. This device has a flip top that covers a disk with Braille letters representing north, south, east and west, and raised dots representing the points in between

Electronic navigation aids detect objects in front of the user at various distances ussing high frequency sound waves to detect objects. If there is an object in front of the person, the device will vibrate. As the person gets closer to the object, the device vibrates faster. There are similar devices that can be either hand held or placed around the neck to free up the person's hands. This device will also vibrate as you get close to an object or emit a sound

Talking GPSAs you walk through the streets, the Trekker or other device mentions points of interest, tells you street names and intersections, and lets you know where you are relative to your destination. Get a route to your destination by entering the two addresses, and let the device guide you. Download new maps from the internet. Voice record feature lets you record your own notes about your trip or route.