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9-1-1 for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired
Posted by : pbc.madler on Monday, June 13, 2005 - 06:29 PM
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Some one-hundred-fifty thousand residents of Palm Beach County have a significant hearing loss. About ten thousand use a telecommunications device for the deaf also known as a TDD or TTY. For those who cannot hear a telephone, a TTY enables them to communicate by typing back and forth between TTY users. How can a TTY user get help in an emergency? (See “Hearing & Speech Impaired & 9-1-1” on the F.A.Q. Page.)
Technology: Each call-taker at 9-1-1 call centers is equipped with the ability to connect and communicate with TTY users. Many problems that delayed answering 9-1-1 calls from TTY users have been overcome by incorporating the TTY into the computerized telephone at the 9-1-1 answering point. The technology can even detect and automatically reply to a call from a TTY it the caller taps a few of the keys on his keyboard to activate the equipment. To enable the call-taker to determine whether the call is coming from a TTY user when there is only silence on the line, a “TDD Query” button has been provided that sends out a short message such as “9-1-1 here GA” and the call-taker simply listens for a reply. Prepared messages may be selected by the call-taker and transmitted to the caller with a few clicks of the mouse. Some, who can speak clearly but cannot hear, may contact 9-1-1 using a ‘voice-carry-over’ telephone or VCO. The 9-1-1 equipment is equipped with the ability to switch from TTY tones to “voice” so that the caller can speak into the phone while the call-taker listens and then back to TTY tones while the call-taker responds by typing on the TTY so that the caller can read it on the display on his phone. All of this along with the usual features of enhanced 9-1-1, including selective routing of the call to the proper police department, the display of the caller’s telephone number and the display of the caller’s location. Training: The American With Disabilities Act-ACCESS FOR 9-1-1 AND TELEPHONE EMERGENCY SERVICES requires training for all call-takers in the ability to recognize, respond, and communicate with callers utilizing at TTY and American Sign Language or ASL. Training courses are regularly presented by Palm Beach County 9-1-1 Management and the Deaf Service Center to fulfill this requirement. on-line training is provided to call-takers on this website and new training is being investigated constantly. Some of the problems experienced by those calling 9-1-1 with a TTY/TDD have come because the caller was not properly instructed as to how to dial 9-1-1. Calls to 9-1-1 are dialed the same way you dial any other seven or ten digit telephone number. If the TTY requires that you press the ‘Return’ key to initiate dialing a telephone number, you must do the same when dialing 9-1-1. If you have difficulty connecting and communicating with the 9-1-1 call-taker, keep trying. Even if you cannot communicate with them, the 9-1-1 equipment will provide your telephone number and location and they will likely send someone to investigate the problem.Testing: In an effort to ensure that our response is efficient and effective, many answering points are testing each other and themselves. Sometimes private citizens are asked to conduct random testing by the 9-1-1 answering point. No one should simply call 9-1-1 to test but if you are interested in conducting testing, contact Palm Beach County 9-1-1 Management at (561) 712-6486 by TTY or voice. Periodically, the Public Service Commission will also test our ability to answer calls from TTYs and provide a report to the county.All the men and women who answer 9-1-1 calls are determined to provide the same or better level of service to the speech and hearing impaired people as they do for people who have no problem communicating over the telephone. Through technology, training and testing we will be able to provide you with the highest level of response no matter how you call 9-1-1.
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