[misc.handicap] Future of TDD's

sg391@city.ac.uk (Tilak Ratnanather) (03/16/91)

Index Number: 14060

I have just returned from a trip to the US and would
like to share with you some exciting information
regarding the long standing problem of TDD/modem
compatibility.

The main technical problem has been to try to get
PCs which operate in ASCII mode to talk with those
"obsolete" 45.5/50 baudot TDDs. Some success has been
reported by a few manufacturers; such equipment are
said to be bulky and relatively expensive.

A deaf computer scientist, Dilip Emmanuel, has managed
to resolve this technical problem at cost-effective price
and moreover with extra enhanced facilities: sophisicated
telephone interface, call progress tone indicator,
interface for IBM PC or OS/2, answering machine (holds
max 1000 msgs), detects incoming ASCII/TDD calls, saves
conversation on file, flashing screen to indicate incoming
call and many more.

Further details can be had from:

	MICROFLIP, Inc.,
	11213 Petsworth Lane
	Glenn Dale
        MD 20769

	Phone: 301 262 1629
               (tdd/ascii 300 Baud, 7 bit, No parity & 1 stop)
               301 262 6020 VOICE

>From what I have heard this is the best thing to have happened
to the deaf community --- but UK telecommunication regulations
do not allow me yet to make use of this modem. In a later
posting I shall describe the problems of the UK national
relay service.

Tilak Ratnanather
Dept of Mathematics
City University
Northampton Square
London EC1V 0HB
England