Promoting access to electronic communications
for deaf people
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Promoting access to electronic communications
for deaf people
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| Sequel 5- Winter 2000/2001 |
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Four in ten hearing-aid wearers cannot use digital mobile phones |
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But there are now some exclusions from TURS:
Non-BT customers should ask their own service provider about any rebates they may offer and how to get them.
How do deaf people
fare when they try to contact organisations and call centres publicising
textphone numbers? There is growing anecdotal evidence that they sometimes
end up disappointed and frustrated.
TAG is planning a survey to learn about the experiences of deaf people
trying to contact organisations directly by textphone, to identify problems
which may exist and to propose practical measures for organisations to
take to improve their text communications with deaf people. Funding for
the project is currently being sought
If text users want to make any comments to TAG now, please email textsurvey@palam.co.uk
Since its launch on
4 July 2001, BT TextDirect hasn't been all plain sailing and there have
been some knock-on effects to RNID Typetalk. Intended to make life easier
for Typetalk users and direct text callers, there have been teething problems
which have left some textphone users seething. BT says it is aware of
some issues, has already introduced improvements, and that others can
be expected.
BT TextDirect was designed to make the public telephone network more accessible
to textphone users. The two main initial benefits are that, by dialling
a special prefix (18001 for text users, 18002 for hearing people), access
to Typetalk no longer requires a lengthy sign-on procedure, and that calls
to or from textphones automatically receive rebates for the text part
of the call. In the longer term, TextDirect should ease the problems of
incompatibility of some textphones.
By 10 September, all Typetalk calls - several thousand of them a day -
were being routed via BT TextDirect and many issues remained unresolved.
Acknowledging that there have been difficulties with TextDirect, BT has
emphasised that the technology is a world first, and that unforeseen problems
were therefore inevitable.
At a meeting with BT in mid-October, TAG delegates heard about some of
the measures being taken to improve the service and about the knock-on
effects of the introduction of BT TextDirect on Typetalk.
Typetalk has had to operate the old and the new systems in parallel and
as a result the service has suffered in the short-term because it has
been difficult to allocate the right number of operators to meet the needs
of each service during the transition.
Some specific issues that are causing concern were raised and TAG reiterated
its disappointment that the old TURS rebate system was terminated before
TextDirect was running smoothly (only people dialling the 18001 or 18002
TextDirect prefix will obtain the new style TURS discount).
A real time videophone
link-up between deaf people in the UK and in the USA was the highlight
of the British Deaf Association's (BDA) second conference on videophones
held in Derby in September 2001.
The conference aimed to inform deaf people about videophones, the equipment
needed and the emerging concept of Total Conversation.
Total Conversation combines features of video, text and voice telephony.
Deaf people will have no difficulty in appreciating the importance of
being able to combine signing, text and lipreading, but Total Conversation
is also of widespread relevance. For example, hearing people may want
to use voice communication for conversation, text for addresses, credit
card numbers etc and video for recognition.
The Conference backed the concept of Total Conversation and the ITU recommendations
on international compatibility. It also called on the BDA to play a leading
consumer role on sign language issues in videophone developments.
For more information contact Penny Sturgess, BDA Information Manager,
tel 020 7588 3520 (voice & text), email info@bda.org.uk
Following discussions
between TAG, BT and Oftel, the roll out of 2,000 BT text payphones is
now well underway. BT says that there are now about 1500 at public sites
and 300 at managed sites in 150 towns and cities across the UK.
Another 107 sites - mostly managed sites - have been identified and installation
should happen soon.
By the end of January 2002, all text payphones will accept cash and should
be operating with TextDirect. Calls to any types of payphone are rare,
but users need to be aware that all calls to text payphones must be via
TextDirect.
In addition to the text payphones, other public terminals (like the Multiphone)
can be used for non-voice communications such as fax, SMS, email and Internet
access.
BT has just piloted
a new videophone and is offering a limited number for sale at £650
each (including VAT).
To use the new mm215 videophone, all you (and the other caller) need is
an ISDN or Highway line. The product has been endorsed by the Deaf Studies
Trust and can be seen at demonstrations in Birmingham, Croydon, Edinburgh
and Manchester.
See http://www.bt.com/videophone/index.jsp
for details.
When deaf people told
The Royal Association for Deaf people (RAD), that they were having trouble
contacting the Automobile Association (AA), RAD discovered that the AA
were about to trial an SMS (short messaging service) scheme for members
to report breakdowns and receive information using their mobile phones.
RAD then helped to organise a trial involving deaf people.
"I have personally used the AA text message service and it was brilliant,"
said Tom Fenton, Chief Executive of RAD. "It can be used not just
for emergency but also for traffic information, route requests and so
on. I told them what route I was taking from the Walsall Deaf Centre to
the RAD Colchester Deaf Centre and asked whether there were any hold-ups.
They said the road was clear, and it was. On my mobile phone I keep a
text message template with my AA Membership Number ready in case the car
breaks down."
The trial involving deaf people in Essex, London, Kent and Surrey began
in June 2001. "The service was not just designed for deaf people
and we don't know how deaf aware the operators will prove to be, so we
would welcome more feedback," said Tom Fenton. "We think that
this is a promising new service and hope that other service providers
and emergency services will be encouraged to provide a similar service."
To give your feedback on the AA SMS service, email info@royaldeaf.org.uk
SMS - Short Messaging Service - enables mobile phone users
to send short text messages of up to 160 characters. The text is keyed
in using the normal telephone keypad.
BT is now offering
a textphone for rent to any BT customer -
just call 0800 875 622 (text users use the BT TextDirect prefix 18001).
The BT textphone features include 10,500 character text memory, 127 name
text phonebook, 8 programmable keys, text answerphone, Voice Carry Over,
voice announcer, BT Call Sign recognition and of course BT TextDirect
access.
It is V18 compliant and compatible with most other textphones. The quarterly rental is £13.50 (excl VAT).
for hearing aid wearers
to use with mobile phones are now available:
the monaural and binaural T-Links (from Connevans),
the PL100/200 (from Sarabec) and the Ericsson T-hook (from Gordon Morris).
The Telecom 650 Call-Sign Switch is available from The Link Shops on many high streets and from Sound Advantage. Call Sign switches used with BT Select Services enable one line to have two different numbers. They can be very useful for lines receiving combinations of voice, text or fax. Previously Call Sign switches have retailed at over £100.