Text Relay Services for Hearing/Speech Impaired

Ever the accessibility torch bearers, the Kinetic Crew recently discovered a fantastic new website feature that is making life a bit easier for hearing/speech impaired callers.

What is text relay?
Text relay is a federally funded and regulated service designed to make it easy for people with hearing loss or speech disabilities to place phone calls. Relay calls are 100% confidential and free to the caller and the called party — local and long-distance.

How does it work?
First, using a web-enabled computer or wireless device, the relay user clicks the “Call Now” icon found on the site:

Next, a dialog box displays call information and the transcript to the caller:

Now here’s the cool part — text relay contacts the desired party and types their side of the conversation, while the operator reads the caller’s words aloud. When the called party responds, the operator types their spoken words for the relay user, enabling them to read the spoken side of the conversation.

We encourage all of our developer friends to add this feature to their sites — together we can make difference in accessibility.
Learn more about text relay on their website.