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New rules on better telephone access for deaf people awaited After four years of consultations, new regulations for telephone companies to provide better access for deaf and disabled customers are now in the hands of the Government. No dramatic changes are expected but there should be a range of improvements and formalisation of some voluntary agreements. Although there have been very important improvements for deaf users of telephone services in the past ten years, telecoms equality with hearing people is some way off. As part of its consultations on increasing competition amongst UK telephone companies, OFTEL, the Government’s telecoms regulatory body, consulted with organisations representing deaf and disabled people about the developments that are needed to improve services for people with special telecoms needs. The Telecommunications Action Group (TAG) has been involved in these discussions from the outset and has been pressing for a range of measures – like text call rebates from all telephone providers and not just BT, an easier-to-use text relay service, regulations about inductive couplers for hearing aid users of public phones, better access to text payphones – and most importantly for lower cost equipment for deaf people requiring additional devices to use the telephone network. OFTEL has considered TAG’s views – and the views of other deaf and disabled organisations as well as the telephone companies – and has put its proposals to the Government. Unfortunately, no positive suggestions have been put forward about probably the most important issue – the extra cost of equipment. OFTEL says it is not in its remit, but most of the disability organisations disagree. The Government response is now awaited, but regrettably the issue does not seem to be high on the Government’s agenda and so far this year virtually nothing has been heard.
The new Terminals Directive Tony Shipley of Phoneability comments on the start of a new era and its impact on deaf people A new European Union (EU) Directive coming into force next year will dramatically change the way telephone terminals are supplied. The UK regulatory system for telecoms equipment will end and across the EU telephones will be regarded as ordinary consumer items, like televisions or toasters. If you buy a telephone now, it should have an approval mark that shows it meets the requirements for connection to the public telephone system. The telephone should not harm you or any other equipment and it should work properly with the network. Of course, you could be unlucky and buy a faulty item, in which case you could send it back and ask for a replacement. Although the present approval system provides an independent check that the design of the equipment is satisfactory, it does not guarantee the quality of every product. Under the new system, however, that independent check will no longer be required. The responsibility for making and selling a safe and effective product will rest entirely with the manufacturer and the supplier. That is exactly the case with other consumer products, so it ought to work with telephones – and that is the thinking behind the new Directive. After all, there is no law which states that toasters must make toast but, if you buy one and it doesn’t, you take it back to the shop where you bought it. If the shopkeeper and the manufacturer between them cannot resolve the problem to your satisfaction, you may complain to a Trading Standards Officer on the grounds that you were sold goods that were ‘not of merchantable quality’. In future, that is likely to be the course to take if you are sold an unsatisfactory telephone. For manufacturers, there are obvious advantages in not having to cope with up to 15 different approval regimes across the EU, but what are the gains for consumers? Cheaper telephones, more choice and more innovation should be the main results because it will be much easier to market standard products across the whole of Europe. Many consumers who are deaf or disabled should also benefit from the elimination of the high costs of approval testing, a barrier to the sale of niche market products and specially imported items like textphones. A possible disadvantage is that some new products may not work very well on ‘difficult’ telephone lines. Some technical differences between the various European national networks remain, but how much that really matters in practice is not entirely certain. If a new telephone does not function properly on your line, it will be of little use to complain to your telephone service provider, so changing it for another model or asking for your money back will be the best options. The new Directive also applies to radio terminals, such as mobile phones, but there will still be some approval conditions for these to ensure that proper use is made of the radio spectrum. All these terminals must be safe and interference-free, but these are the only specific requirements. The EU has powers to introduce further requirements if they are shown to be necessary, including some to facilitate use of terminals by disabled people, but none has yet been drafted and it will be very difficult to draft effective accessibility requirements within a Directive whose primary purpose is deregulation of telecommunication terminals. Possibilities are still being explored, however, and some positive measures are in prospect.
Essential Access and great fun to use The latest telephone technology not only provides essential access for deaf people, but it is also great fun to use! Deaf children all over the UK are having the opportunity to try out all sorts of new equipment on the Listening Bus, the technology roadshow of the National Deaf Children’s Society. Videophones are proving particularly popular and, although they are still expensive, they are gradually coming into wider use. For many deaf children they offer the first chance to have a relaxed and enjoyable telephone conversation. The children not only enjoy using them but are fascinated to learn how they work. It may not be too long before videophones are commonplace and deaf children may grow up in a world where videophones are used in everyday situations at home and work. For more information about the NDCS Listening Bus and its programme of visits, contact 0171 490 8656 (voice & text). Short calls don't always mean smallest bills Did you know that a call of a few seconds to a wrong number or a very short Internet connection can cost exactly the same as say a five minute call in off-peak periods? To get the best value from your telephone calls, you need to know the minimum call charge of your telephone company – and how many minutes that will give you. It’s not easy to work out what is best for you, but if you make a lot of very short calls it might be worthwhile investigating. In February this year, Roger Hewitt, research consultant in deaf issues, did a rapid survey and found that different companies had very different minimum charges. "Businesses have always kept a careful check on their costs and are aware of these minimum call charges," says Roger. "With the growth of home use of the fax and the Internet, householders have also begun to realise their importance." All these charges are further complicated by the various discounts on offer – and of course the Text Users’ Rebate Scheme offered by BT and by Nynex. But it could be worth your while investigating.
Do hearing aid users have problems with mobiles? If you use a hearing aid and have used a mobile phone, TAG would like to hear from you. There are reports that hearing aid users are finding it impossible or difficult to use the new generation of GSM digital mobile phones. A new TAG survey is trying to find out the extent of the problem so that action can be taken. Digital mobile phones can present hearing aid users with two problems – interference and lack of an inductive coupler. The absence of an inductive coupler means that hearing aid users cannot use the "T" switch on their aid to hear better on the mobile phone. But mobile phones have also been reported to cause interference with hearing aids and make them totally unsuitable for hearing aid wearers. No-one knows the full extent of the interference problem, but a pilot survey by TAG has already shown that the problem is widespread if not consistent. Currently, TAG is looking for funds to carry out a full survey, but meanwhile wants feedback from hearing aid users who have attempted successfully or unsuccessfully to use a mobile phone. Fortunately, hearing aid users can try to bypass the problems of mobile phones in two ways. They can try to purchase one of the older analogue mobile phones which should not give any interference, but unfortunately will not have an inductive coupler and in any case analogue systems are being phased out and may be difficult to obtain. Or secondly, they can try the new neckloop from Nokia. The Nokia 6110 can be fitted with a plug-in loop (the LPS-1 Loopset ) with a built-in microphone which fits around the neck. This solution, is however quite pricey – £85 for the loopset – and it can only be used with the Nokia 6110 which means that potential users will not have the full range of choice of phones and subscriptions available to hearing mobile phone users. Using the loopset with its built-in microphone the phone can be held clear of the hearing aid, reducing the interference to such a low level that it is insignificant, while the loop acts as an inductive coupler. A copy of the TAG pilot questionnaire is available on-line or for download (Word 97 or RTF formats), alternatively to receive a copy by mail you can: email: jim@pothecaryj.freeserve.co.uk or write to: TAG Mobile Phone Project PO Box 5, Kingsclere Newbury RG20 5YY
A message from Ruth Myers, TAG's chair. Welcome to the first TAG Newsletter, sponsored by the National Lottery Charity Board Small Grants Scheme, and aiming to bring you news of the current and future developments in telecommunications which are of particular interest to deaf, deafened, hard of hearing and deafblind people. Please tell us if you have found this information helpful and what you would like to see in future editions. Receiving your own copy of Sequel If you have not received your own copy of Sequel and would like to be on the mailing list for future editions, contact the TAG Secretary.
TAG bargains – Two special offers: TAG 1997 Directory of deaf telecoms organisations and The Proceedings of the 1997 TAG Deaf Telecoms Conference Both are available at £1 each or £2 for both including P&P. Apply now while stocks last. TAG Publications c/o 70 Blacketts Wood Drive Chorleywood Rickmansworth Herts WD3 5QQ |