Deaf/Hard of Hearing

Sensitivity Training for

9-1-1 PersonnelPrepared by the Office for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services

(DHHS) of the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative

Services/Division for Rehabilitation Services, Austin

Presented by: Alma Bebee- Deafness Resource Specialist

Why are we here?

TTY/TDD User Sensitivity Trainingfor 9-1-1 Personnel

Demographics

8.8 per cent of the general population has a hearing loss sufficient enough to need on-going services (not hearing aid only)

6.5 of the above are categorized as hard of hearing or late-deafened

2.3 of the above number are members of the Deaf or deaf community

the numbers are greater in rural areas and areas of lower socio-economic resources

A D A Americans with Disabilities Act Title II, Section 35.162

telephone emergency services shall provide direct access to individuals who use TTY’s and computer modems ...

Parts of the ADA

I Employment any entity employing 15 or more persons

II State and local government III Public Accommodations IV Telecommunications V Miscellaneous

Hearing Loss Categories

Deaf - note the capital “D,” persons who are involved mainly within the Deaf community/Deaf Culture and are native ASL users.

deaf - persons who have little useable residual hearing and depend on visual communication as their main mode for communication

hard of hearing - persons with useable residual hearing which may be assisted with amplification

late deafened - persons, who as an adult, has lost most of their hearing as a result of an injury, illness or as part of the aging process.

Why it might be difficult to learn English, especially if you don’t hear it:

The bandage was wound around the wound. The farm was used to produce produce We must polish the Polish furnitureSince there is no time like the present; he thought it was time to present the present.A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.They were too close to the door to close it.The buck does funny things when the does are present.After a number of injections my jaw finally got number.Upon seeing the tear in the painting, I shed a tear.I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

Communication Methods

Sign Language: Linguistic research has shown many sign languages, American Sign Language is one, have their own grammatical structures, syntax, rules, etc. like spoken languages.

Universality: Sign languages are not universal. Like spoken languages, sign languages around the world are entirely different. ASL is primarily used in America and Canada. However, fluent sign language users do have advantages over spoken languages users. The monolingual signer can communicate with other foreign signers much easier, using gestures, body language and pictorial expressions than monolingual (spoken) persons in a foreign country.

American Sign Language (ASL): ASL is not an abbreviated form of English nor is it a simplified version. It is the native language most persons who are Deaf in America uses.

Communication Methods (continuation):

Home Signs: In some very rural areas, deaf children and their family members use home signs when they are not exposed to any other people who are deaf or the Deaf community.

Oral/Aural: Oral is where the child is taught to use their speech and

speech-reading abilities. Age of onset, identification/amplification onset, severity of loss all play an important role in the level of success.

Speech-reading or lip-reading is an innate ability. A person (deaf or hearing) is either born with the ability to do so or is not born with the ability to do so. You can improve the skill for someone with the innate ability but you cannot teach someone born without.

Sign Systems: a combination of signs used in English word order, which sign the word and not the meaning - used mostly in educational settings to help improve English proficiency

Communication Methods (continuation):

Oftentimes, many years of trying to teach (improve) the ability passes before it is realized that the child will not succeed with the chosen method. Much information can be lost during these formative years.

The most proficient of speech-readers can only catch about 25% of a known topic/conversation. This lessens to about 15% when the topic of conversation is unknown as the context on which to base one’s guesses is lowered. Many English sounds look alike on the lips and many words look alike on the lips. The anatomy of the speaker and the environment influence the “read-ability” - thin lips are difficult to read, as are the lips of someone with a full beard/moustache , it is most difficult to read some who is writing on a blackboard (school settings) and extremely difficult to follow the subject matter on films that has voice-overs (speaker is not presented on the screen) or includes animation.

Aural is where the child is taught to use what residual hearing (amplified or not) they may have to their best benefit. Some schools advertise that they “teach deaf children to hear.”

Communicating with Individuals who are

Hard of Hearing/Oral Deaf

Slow down a bit Don’t yell, this distorts your words Rephrase statement or question If you must spell, say: “B” as in baseball, etc.

Numbers: 50 and 15 or 50 and 60 sound much alike Say 50, five/zero or 15, one/five for example Be patient

The Manual Alphabet -one of the few commonalties in the numerous sign systems in use in America

Practice fingerspelling your name.

Cultural Behaviors - Deaf/Hearing

* Getting Attention * Flickering of lights or

stomping on wooden

floor vs calling, “Hey”

* Party * Staying in the kitchen

where there is more

lighting vs the living room

* Introductions * Long introductions with

questions vs “Nice to meet you

* Pointing * Considered necessary vs considered rude

TTY/VP Users Persons who are culturally Deaf Persons who are deaf Persons who are hard of hearing Persons who are late-deafened Persons who are speech impaired Others?????

TTY /VP Related Words/Definitions

Relay service - telephone relay service allowing persons who have a TTY to call persons who do not and vice-versa

Direct access- the ability to directly receive a call without third party services

Baudot - code used by TTYs ASCII - American Standard Code for

Information Interchange: code used by computers and facsimile machines

Devices used by persons who are deaf/hard of hearing:

Telephones: TTY Amplified phone Pay Phone with TTY Pay Phone

w/amplifier Video Phone● Hearing aids, cochlear

implants, digital hearing aids, assistive listening devices Pager

DigitalTextWireless 2-way

Types of TTYs

Acoustic (telephone receiver must rest in TTY coupler)

Direct Connect (telephone line plugs into TTY and separate phone implement is not necessary – “dial” from the keyboard)

Acoustic/Direct Connect - some have either/or capabilities

Types of TTY Calls

Traditional VCO (Voice Carry Over) HCO (Hearing Carry Over) TTY via relay service VCO via relay service HCO via relay service

Types of TTY Calls

VCO (Voice Carry Over) User has intelligible speech and prefers

to speak instead of type to you. faster than traditional TTY call; popular with persons who are late-

deafened and hard of hearing - typing speed is slow due to age/arthritis and/or never using a keyboard previously.

Is this call a TTY/TDD call?

Electronic tones do not sound like a fax but is often confused and

hung-up on or transferred to fax machine Silence (open line)

older machines and older users do not “key-in” to alert you the call is from a TTY/TDD

Synthesized voice announcement many newer machines have this option (will not be

recognized by your PSAP - TDD Challenge button) Relay agent

no need to activate the TDD Challenge or get your TTY/TDD

TTY Abbreviations

GA - go ahead SK - stop keying GA to SK - I’m ready to

hang up, are you? SKSK - hanging up Q - Question mark xxx - error CUL - see you later

MSG - message CUD - could B4 - before U - you Pls - please NUM - number R - are Many, many others

Relay Texas

Relay service mandated by ADA under Title IV, however, Relay Texas opened prior to ADA mandate

Enables person with TTY to call person/business who does not and vice-versa

Free service that is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year

7-1-1

New technology/Culture Changes

Video Phones VOIP Video Relay Services Internet Relay Services

Technology and Relay Updates IP Relay Service

10 digit number- need to register with Online Relay Provider Internet based, so therefore no ANI/ALI, providers are nationwide and your

relay agent may be several states away and unfamiliar with regional/slang terms

Video Relay Service 10 digit number-need to register with VRS provider

Although communication is much smoother and quicker because the person is using their primary language with which to communicate, the same problems as above are present

CapTel Relay Service This phone/service uses voice recognition software. When the

caller dials a number, the phone automatically routes the call first through a CapTel transcription center. There, everything you say is restated since software must learn to understand the speaker) which in turn becomes text for the caller. HOWEVER, when a CapTel phone dials 9-1-1, it automatically becomes a VCO phone and bypasses the CapTel transcription center. You will handle this as a VCO call.

Video Relay Phone Booth

TTY Accesible

Relay Protocol

Immediately verify address and phone number with the caller

Speak in “first-party” language Don’t solicit opinion or comment from

the agent, operator or communication assistant

Do handle the call just as you would any other but add a ‘GA’ or ‘SK’

Thank you

Questions Feedbacks

Contact information:

361-334-5826- V/TTY

866-993-1154- Toll Free

866-757-3350- Video phone