General Interest Articles

Note: since the following article was written, new developments in accessibility have taken place, specifically nationwide 711 service. The following is from the April 2006 issue of Verizon's "Forward Access":

IN OTHER WORDS: NATIONWIDE 711

Similar in concept to 911, the three-digit calling shortcut 711 will automatically connect you to the Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) center in your state during an emergency.

The TRS centers will facilitate telephone conversations between people with and people without hearing or speech disabilities. You can dial 711 from anywhere in the U.S. using a text (TTY) or standard telephone. There is no cost for using this service.

Since 2001, the FCC has required all U.S telecommunications carriers, including landline, wireless, and payphone providers, to offer access to TRS by dialing 711.

See also Dialing for Help.

People with disabilities now have a single place to look - - or listen - - for information about Bell Atlantic products and services that will help them communicate more easily. The new "AccessAbility" pages on the Bell Atlantic Web Site (click on "Customer Services") offer a single source of key information about products and services, in a format that can be interpreted by both the human eye and assistive devices used by people who are vision impaired.

The "AccessAbility" pages are a quick reference guide to the many ways Bell Atlantic currently supports customers with disabilities:

• Bills can be printed in Braille or in large type.
  
  
• Customers with physical, visual or reading disabilities can get free call completion services from directory assistance operators.
  
  
• Phone numbers that will be answered using telecommunications devices for the deaf - - or TTYs - - can be specially identified as "TTY numbers" in Bell Atlantic directories.

In addition, new calling packages have been developed for people with vision, motion, hearing or speech impairments:

• For people with vision or motion impairments, packages that include talking Caller ID boxes that announce the calling party's number, coupled with Call Waiting and Home Voice Mail, create a versatile call-management system.
  
  
• For those with hearing or speech impairments who use TTYs, Caller ID and Call Waiting can be coupled to facilitate call management. A "flash" button on a special Caller ID box allows TTY users to switch back and forth between an active call and a call that is waiting to be answered.
  
  
• Another feature, Distinctive Ringing, is a boon to TTY users who share a household with a voice telephone user. With Distinctive Ringing, separate phone numbers can be assigned to ring differently on the same line. Customers can publish one number for their TTY calls and a second number for voice telephone calls.

Community organizations seeking additional information should contact Elaine Scaia-Harbinger, Outreach Manager, Bell Atlantic Community Affairs, at (518) 396-1042 or via e-mail at elaine.m.scaia-harbinger@bellatlantic.com.

If you have questions or comments about this article, or questions for its author(s) and do not have a direct contact, please e-mail them to feedback@cacad.org