Jack.O'keeffe@f26.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Jack O'keeffe) (04/24/91)
Index Number: 15112
[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]
FO> I don't have a TTY, should I first call the telephone company
FO> and ask them for help?
Fran, New York was among the first to have a statewide TTY/TDD
relay service. I believe it began in early '89 with AT&T as
the contractor. I don't have the voice number for it, but it
should be listed in the front of your directory. The problem
is that many relays do not yet permit out-of-state calls or have
some vexing restrictions if they do.
And the last I heard, New Jersey's relay was still in the "planning
stages", so TDD users there might not be able to not call back.
Interstate full-time relay service is mandated by the ADA
(Title 4) nationwide not later then July 26, 1993. Halleluia!!
Many modern TDDs have ASCII capability in addition to BAUDOT.
If the TDD user you are calling has one of these you can call
using your modem and the comm program on your XT :-) Eventually,
Baudot will be phased out and all TDDs will support ASCII.
... :-)
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!26!Jack.O'keeffe
Internet: Jack.O'keeffe@f26.n129.z1.fidonet.orgFran.O'gorman@f94.n272.z1.fidonet.org (Fran O'gorman) (05/03/91)
Index Number: 15329
[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]
FO>> Hmmm, have to look at my Telix program...would it be like
FO>> being in chat with someone like on a BBS?
JO> Yep, just like chat. My Boyan comm program galls it "gossip" mode
JO> and gives a split screen with each half of the conversation
JO> scrolling in half the screen. Unfortunately, most TDDs are still
JO> BAUDOT. ASCII is usually optional at extra cost, and the high-end
JO> TDDs are converging cost-wise on the low end TDDs.
Well it will be really neat when it becomes more commonplace.
This way the liklihood for a hearing person to be able to call a
deaf person easily enough, would be so much better. In another
words if I called you that way it'd be like you were a sysop with
a BBS...? That is, if you have a TDD that uses ASCII...I think I
get the picture now... well hopefully the technology will become
less expensive and more commonplace.
JO> The relay systems are the best answer, at least for now. Someday
JO> we'll have a realtime habitable speech-to-text system that will
JO> process continuous speech as fast as you can read it. But the
JO> relays will have to do for the time being. Too bad they won't
JO> allow out of state calls. (about 10 states allow them now, with
JO> some restrictions.)
Boy, with the technology offering such possibilities for the
future it's hard to believe the present is so limited. I guess
with the addition of the various services (AT&T, MCI, Sprint) it
even gets more complicated too.
--Fran
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Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!272!94!Fran.O'gorman
Internet: Fran.O'gorman@f94.n272.z1.fidonet.orgAnn.Stalnaker@p0.f14.n385.z1.fidonet.org (Ann Stalnaker) (05/03/91)
Index Number: 15342
[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]
Jack - for your updated TDD listing, I thought you might want to
know that Texas does offer interstate calling for their TDD users.
Also, for Oklahoma - there is now no surcharge being billed for
each phone customer due to a surplus in the TDD funding. Also,
all restrictions have been removed and TDD's are provided to
EVERY hearing impaired citizen of Oklahoma free of charge. I
was also informed that should the TDD fund account run low, the
surcharge would appear on the phone bills. My opinion is that
by the time this happens, the ADA will be in effect and it'll
probably be a nationwide surcharge rather than state mandated.
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!385!14.0!Ann.Stalnaker
Internet: Ann.Stalnaker@p0.f14.n385.z1.fidonet.orgKevin.White@f71.n343.z1.fidonet.org (Kevin White) (05/14/91)
Index Number: 15581
[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]
Any thoughts on Virtual reality? A glove developed by someone in
Arizona or California I think.. Have someone wear it, sign words
and have the movements on screen, Nintendo and another company
is doing things with the glove for Virtual reality, the other is
not into games like Nintendo but things such as writing over the modem
or pointing at something by moving your hand in the air..
It would help greatly in seeing the hand movements and learning.
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!343!71!Kevin.White
Internet: Kevin.White@f71.n343.z1.fidonet.orgJay.Croft@p0.f147.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Jay Croft) (05/14/91)
Index Number: 15588
[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]
In Maryland we are fighting to have the cost of relay services put into
the base rate. We don't want a surcharge. Relay service should simply
be part of the cost of doing business as a monopoly.
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!109!147.0!Jay.Croft
Internet: Jay.Croft@p0.f147.n109.z1.fidonet.org