TTY public telephone repost [telecom]

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hancock4 17 years ago

Previously we discussed if TTY telephone service exists. We noted that it does and there are even pay phones with TTY keyboards.

Here is a link to such a phone on the New York MTA transit network:

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The caption reads: "TTY telephones at many stations help make MTA services more accessible to people with disabilities."

Side note: The Trenton NJ train station continues its reconstruction. Additional pay phones have been installed in the rear entrance, one accepting coins for long distance, apparently overseas (handset painted yellow). I noticed the other day two people using the front entrance pay phones. So, pay phones are still being used.

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Bill Horne 17 years ago

TDD-equipped payphones, while better than nothing, are not a solution to communicaiton for hearing-impaired telephone customers.

What gets my goat is that public utilities don't offer TDD services anymore, at least not in the Boston area: deaf/speech-impaired customers are expected to resort to the relay service to do business with regulated monopolies, and most local governments don't bother to maintain a TDD line either.

Bill Horne

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Steven Lichter 17 years ago

In California there is a service that gives special phones to people that need them and one type are TDD devices. Before deregulation I believe most companies offered them.

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hancock4 17 years ago

I checked a few listings:

The MBTA (transit operator) says on its web page: "for our Deaf or Hard of Hearing: customers TTY (617) 222-5146",

City of Boston does not have an explicit general TTY number, but a great many individual city departments (search under TTY) had TTY lines.

It appears that on some websites one must search "TTY" to get the number. The Massachusetts web site had a directory: See:

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Some utility companies did have TTY, but others did not.

***** Moderator's Note *****

That's good news, but my concern remains: "some" utilities should be forced to serve hearing/speech impaired customers. TDD users need to know that the device is a reliable substitute for voice communications, not only for the government, but for _all_ the companies they /have/ to deal with.

Bill Horne Temporary Moderator

Please put [Telecom] at the end of your subject line, or I may never see your post! Thanks!

We have a new address for email submissions: telecomdigestmoderator atsign telecom-digest.org. This is only for those who submit posts via email: if you use a newsreader or a web interface to contribute to the digest, you don't need to change anything.

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telecomdigestreader.to.thelinu 17 years ago

Of course, if you wanted or needed to install a TTY with a public pay phone, there are at least two companies that manufacture the devices:

Krown Manufacturing - Ultratec -

Regards, TheLinuxFan

***** Moderator's Note *****

Thanks for your note: if we can convince our public utilities to buy them and to answer the calls, I'd be a happy camper.

Bill Horne Temporary Moderator

Please put [Telecom] at the end of your subject line, or I may never see your post! Thanks!

We have a new address for email submissions: telecomdigestmoderator atsign telecom-digest.org. This is only for those who submit posts via email: if you use a newsreader or a web interface to contribute to the digest, you don't need to change anything.

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T 17 years ago

I would think the vibrating feature and the SMS messaging as well as IP connectivity of newer cell phone eliminate the need to offer TDD services at all.

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TTY public telephone repost [telecom]

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