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TYPES OF SERVICE AVAILABLE Depending on the technical and physical abilities of users different call types are possible via relay services. TTY to Voice/Voice to TTY Voice Carry Over The next most common call type is Voice Carry Over (VCO). VCO allows a person who is Hard–of–Hearing or Deaf and does speak to use one's voice while receiving responses from a person who is Hearing via the operator's typed text. There are many variations of VCO, including 2-Line VCO and VCO with privacy. VCO with Privacy The operator will not hear the VCO user's voiced messages and the VCO user does not need to voice GA. The operator will hear the person who is Hearing, and the person who is Hearing must give the GA each time to alert the operator it is the VCO user's turn. The VCO user does not need to voice GA, because the VCO user types it or presses the "VCO GA" button on the VCO phone when it the voice user's turn to talk. 2–Line VCO 2-Line VCO allows a VCO user using a TTY or computer to call a TRS operator, who in turn calls the VCO user on a second telephone line, which serves as the voice line. The user puts the operator on a brief hold to initiate a 3-way call with the Hearing person. This method is frequently used by people who are Hard-of-Hearing and like to use some of their residual hearing as well not having to say "Go Ahead". With 2–Line VCO, the VCO user and the voice user can interrupt each other. VCO with Privacy cannot be used with 2–Line VCO, because the operator, VCO user, and Hearing person are on a 3–way call. Hearing Carry Over A less common call type is Hearing Carry Over (HCO). HCO allows a person who is Speech–Disabled and can hear to use one's hearing while sending responses to a person who is Hearing via the HCO user's typed text. The operator voices the HCO user's typed messages, and then the HCO users picks up the handset and listens to the other voice user's response. There are many variations of HCO, including 2-Line HCO and HCO with privacy. HCO with Privacy The operator will not hear the voice user's voiced messages and the voice user does not need to voice GA. The operator will voice for the person who is Speech–Disabled, and the person who is Speech–Disabled must give the GA each time to alert the operator it is the voice user's turn. The voice user does not need to voice GA, because the HCO user can hear when the voice user finishes talking. VCO with Privacy cannot be used with 2–Line VCO, because the operator, HCO user, and Hearing person are on a 3–way call. 2–Line HCO Similar to 2-Line VCO, 2-Line HCO allows an HCO user using a TTY or computer to call a TRS operator, who in turn calls the HCO user on a second telephone line, which serves as the voice line. The user puts the operator on a brief hold to initiate a 3-way call with the Hearing person. This method is frequently used by people who are Speech–Disabled and like to use some of their residual speech as well not having to type "GA". With 2–Line HCO, the HCO user and the voice user can interrupt each other. Speech to Speech Speech to Speech (STS) exists for people who have mild speech disabilities. A specially–trained STS TRS operator revoices what the person with a speech disability says. STS is often used in combination with VCO for people who are Deaf and have somewhat understandable speech, as well as 2–Line HCO users. DeafBlind variation Telebraille also exists for people who are DeafBlind with the use of a TTY with a Braille or regular keyboard and a refreshable braille display or LVD (Large Visual Display). A relay call of a user who is DeafBlind is directly related to a relay call of a TTY user, however, the text transmission speed is often reduced to increase the ability of the user who is DeafBlind to comprehend the moving braille on the braille TTY or large print on the LVD. Telebraille relay operators must be familiar with Braille contractions that users who are DeafBlind may use. Some TTY users with mobile disabilities may prefer to use a Telebraille, due to the smaller keyboard, regardless of a sight disability or lack thereof. Captioned telephone A new method for people who are Hard-of-Hearing, Oral Deaf or Late–Deafened to make phone calls is called a captioned telephone (also called '''captioned relay''' or '''Cap-Tel'''Verizon information brochure GT016707SS-WS). It is a Telephone that displays real-time captions of the current conversation. The captions are typically displayed on a screen embedded into the telephone base. A captioned telephone may also be called a CapTel, which is the main brand name for a captioned telephone. A CapTel can also function exactly like a VCO by switching the device to VCO mode, for example, to communicate with an HCO user directly, without relay. Captioned telephones use a Stenomask system by a remote operator, similar in fashion to Closed Captioning of live TV shows. Presently (2007), Stenomask voice recognition with a regular keyboard is the only method used for captioned telephone systems. 2–Line CapTel 2–Line CapTel can also be used with 2 lines. This is especially useful for users who prefer to give out their home phone number alone, instead of both the captioning service number and the toll-free captioning service number or for users who prefer to turn captions on and off anytime during the call. 2–Line CapTel can also be used with other relay services. For example, STS can be used with 2–Line CapTel, for CapTel users with speech disabilities. 2–Line CapTel is only available to people in states that have 2–Line CapTel as part of their relay service or federal employees/contractors and Native Americans. |
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