	Vol. 6, No. 2 March/April 1998	Previous Issues Subscribe to AT Messenger Download PDF Viewer
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Cell Phones, TTYs, and You

by Judy Harkins, Director, RERC on Universal Telecommunications Access, Gallaudet University, and Anita B. Haravon, Dissemination Coordinator, Lexington RERC

Wireless telecommunication devices such as cell phones, pagers, and cordless phones are changing the way Americans communicate. Will TTY users be able to join the wireless revolution?

The answer to this question is not simple.

On one hand, wireless communications are becoming more visual and less dependent on voice alone. There are wireless phones that can let you surf the Internet. Pagers are great products for leaving messages for anyone who travels. Two-way paging can be even more convenient for people on the go. Vibrating cellular phones let you know of incoming telephone calls.

In the next few years, we will see even more new products and services that let you communicate without wires. New government policy in telecommunications is increasing competition in this industry. Consumers will have more choice of telephone companies and telephone products.

The most important news in the wireless world is a shift from older analog technology to digital technology. This kind of shift is happening in many industries-for example in audio recording (CDs replacing vinyl records) and in video recording (the new digital video disc players versus the old VCR).

In the wireless telephone industry, the shift to digital technologies is creating some unexpected problems for hearing aids and TTYs. The industry is working on these problems, but they are not yet solved and consumers need to be aware of them.

Why are there problems? Digital wireless cell phone systems are more efficient than analog systems. They allow several people to share a single telephone channel. The phones communicate with the radio tower by pulsing radio frequency signals. The signals contain speech that is encoded by computer.

The pulsing of the signal causes hearing aids to buzz when the phone is near the hearing aid. And the encoding process seems to garble TTY beeps. Thus, the new phones are not accessible.

The good news is that analog phones, which are more accessible, are easy to find. In fact, most cell phones sold today are still analog phones. For now, the best advice is to stick with analog, but keep an eye on the WorldWide Web and other information sources for improvements to digital cell phone accessibility.

Analog cell phones and TTYs

Analog systems work fairly well with TTYs. If you buy a cell phone with a built-in modular jack (RJ-11), you are ready to go. Some companies offer adapters that will wire up your cell phone to a direct-connect TTY. A few phones may even be usable if you place them over the TTY's cups, but this is not an ideal situation because ambient noise can cause garbling. Another source of garbling can be noise in the cellular transmission, which is less reliable than wireline transmission.

Keep in mind that you may want to receive calls too. (Interestingly, most people do not give out their cell phone numbers because they do not want to receive calls.) For receiving calls, you will need a phone that vibrates or a remote vibrating device that you can carry in a pocket.

Some basic tips for shoppers:

For now, the best way to proceed if you need cellular communications is to discuss your communication needs with your service providers (the companies that operate wireless telephone services).

Consult TTY manufacturers. If you do not have a TTY with direct-connect capability, you will probably need to get one. You are an important customer to TTY companies, so let them know your needs.

Now is the time to begin educating wireless telephone manufacturers about your needs, because Section 255 of the Communications Act is now in effect. Section 255 requires that telephone equipment be accessible to and usable by people with disabilities, if it is readily achievable for the company to make it so.

Keep in mind that telephones are sold in a wide variety of outlets now, such as tire stores, boating stores, and even convenience stores. Sales staff in such establishments will probably not be able to help you with accessibility issues, but the service provider should be responsive.

If someone tries to sell you digital phone service, and you would like to try it out, make sure they give you a written assurance of a money-back trial period. The provider should be willing to refund your money if its products will not support TTYs.

For more information, please contact

RERC on Hearing Enhancement & Assistive Devices

Lexington School for the Deaf/Center for the Deaf

30th Ave. and 7th St., Jackson Heights, NY 11370

V/TTY: 718-899-8800 x212, Fax: 718-899-3433

email: research@lexnyc.org

web site: http://idt.net/~reslex

RERC on Universal Telecommunications Access

Gallaudet University Ely Center

800 Florida Ave., NE

Washington, DC 20006

V/TTY 202 651-5257 Fax: 202-651-5476