What is a telephone relay service?
Title IV of the ADA (which is enforced by the Federal Communications Commission) requires States to provide telephone relay services. Such services involve a communications assistant who uses both a standard telephone and a TDD to type voiced communication to the TDD user and read the typed communication to the voice telephone user. State and local agencies may use State relay services to meet the ADA requirements to provide equally effective communication to individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or who have speech impairments, but relays may not be used as a substitute for direct access to telephone emergency services. • Q: If a Public Safety Agency has TDD´s in place, is it in compliance with Title II? A: Not necessarily. Often, an agency has purchased a sufficient number of TDD´s but lacks personnel trained in how to use the TDD´s. An agency must take all appropriate steps to ensure that the TDD´s will be used properly. • Q: What kind of training must a Public Safety Agency pro
