TTY phone: direct, equal emergency access for the deaf

ABSTRACT

Seeking to enable direct and equal access for the Deaf to emergency call centers, we analyze the current state of the emergency phone system in the United States and elsewhere in the world. Leveraging teletypewriter (TTY) technology mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to be installed in all emergency call centers in the United States, we developed software that emulates a TTY on a smart phone. We present an Instant Messaging style interface for mobile phones that uses the existing emergency infrastructure and allows Deaf users to communicate directly with emergency operators.

REFERENCES

• 1: Christopher Saunders, Bridging SMS and E911, (2003), http://www.instantmessagingplanet.com/wireless/article.php/3069641.
• 2: Compact / C -- Pocket sized TTY for use with digital cell phones. Available at website: http://www.ultratec.com/ttys/
• 3: FAQs and General TTY Etiquette Tips for New TTY Users (2005), retrieved from the Rochester Institute of Technology website http://wally.rit.edu/depts/ref/research/deaf/ttyuse.htm
• 4: Federal Communications Commission, Wireless 911 Services, FCC Consumer Facts (2006), retrieved from the FCC website: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/wireless911srvc.html
• 5: Gallaudet University, Technology Access Program, TDI White Paper: Expectations of the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities for comprehensive federal action to accelerate emergency 911 access (2006), http://tap.gallaudet.edu/Emergency/
• 6: MyTTY: Software That Lets Your PC Work Like a TTY. Available at the ADCO hearing Products Inc website: http://www.adcohearing.com/ttys_access.html
• 7: PCTTY: A Windows TTY Computer Program for the Deaf, available at the website: http://www.pctty.com/
• 8: Sorenson VP--200 videophone: Available at Sorenson VRS website. http://www.sorensonvrs.com/ (since Aug. 2006)
• 9: Text messaging the emergency services, (2007) retrieved from the West Midlands Police website: https://www.west-midlands.police.uk/general/text-messaging.asp
• 10: U.S. Department of Justice-Civil Rights Division, Americans with Disabilities Act: Access for 9-1-1 and Telephone Emergency Services, 1990 http://www.ada.gov/911ta.htm
• 11: Worldwide smart mobile device market, Canalys Q4 2007, available at the Canalsys website: (Press release 5th Feb. 2008) http://www.canalsys.com/pr/2008/r2008021.htm

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.4 COMPUTERS AND SOCIETY
      K.4.2 Social Issues
          Subjects: Assistive technologies for persons with disabilities

General Terms:
Design, Human Factors

Keywords:
PSAP (public safety answering points), TTY (teletypewriter), assistive technology, deaf, emergency messaging