|  | Conditions Treatments | Deafness

TTY Programs

TTYs are a way of life for deaf or hard of hearing people. It enables them to call friends, family and business associates just as a normal hearing person would. TTY originally stood for teletypewriter. In the 1960s, deaf scientist, Robert Weitbrecht, used a teletypewriter along with an acoustic coupler to hold a telephone receiver and enable deaf people to communicate by phone. TTY is now referred to as a text telephone or TDD (Telecommunication Device for the Deaf). TTYs allow deaf people to type messages to each other in order to communicate. Several programs are available for TTYs.

  1. TTY to TTY

    • Deaf or hard of hearing people can communicate from one TTY to another. A TTY is a small keyboard that is hooked up to the phone. The receiver of the phone sits in a special acoustic cup attached to the TTY. Once a person dials a number, a signal light blinks to let the person know the phone is ringing on the other end. If the light blinks rapidly, then the other phone is busy. An erratic blink signals that a person or answering machine has answered your call. During a call, one person types the message they would like to relay and it shows up on the other person's display. The other person responds via typing and it shows up on the other screen. Someone receiving a call from another TTY person would hear special tones that signal them to place the phone in the acoustic cup and turn the TTY on.

    TTY Relay Service

    • TTY relay services are available around the clock for TTY users trying to communicate with non-TTY users. TTY relay services began as a small effort with volunteers and limited hours and areas. A relay person, referred to as a communication assistant, connects a TTY caller with a regular telephone user. The communication assistant converts the telephone user's conversation to text which shows up on the TTY screen for the deaf person. Then, the communication assistant converts the deaf person's text message to conversation for the telephone user. California was the first state to have a relay program when theirs was established in 1947. In 1990, Title IV of the Americans with Disabilities Act mandated all states provide relay programs.

    ASCII TTY

    • ASCII TTY is a special TTY that is able to communicate with a personal computer. ASCII stands for the "American Standard Code For Information Interchange." It is the code used by computers. The computer must have the correct software and modem. Not all TTYs have ASCII capabilities.

    TTY Conversation Tips

    • Many etiquette tips arose for TTY users because of the lack of ability to verbally communicate. Type "Hello" and "Your Name" when calling someone to begin. Type "GA" to let the other person know you are done talking and they can "go ahead." You do not need to use punctuation marks. Instead, just skip lines between sentences. Type "GA" to allow the other person to say something or "SK" which means "Stop Keying" when you are done with the conversation. Try to express your emotions in words since you cannot convey them verbally; examples are: "smile," "sigh" or "haha."

Deafness - Related Articles