Telecommunications Relay Services  allow anyone who may have a hearing or speech loss to communicate with almost anyone in the world on the phone. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, speech disabled, or even a hearing person wanting to communicate with deaf, hard of hearing or speech disabled friends, this service is for you.

How does it work? Relay is for anyone who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, late-deafened, or speech disabled, and who uses a TTY/TDD or standard telephone to communicate. The message is skillfully relayed by a Communications Assistant (CA), word for word, to the hearing person on the other end of the line. The CA types what the hearing person has said back to the TTY user. By law, each conversation is handled with the strictest confidentiality. There is no charge to access Relay Services.

Hearing-impaired retirees may obtain assistance through Relay Texas (RTX). These services are free of charge. See the Texas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing web site for full details of this program. 

7-1-1: A NEW way to make calls through Relay Texas! 

Now it is even easier for people who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing to use their TTYs, VCO phones, HCO phones and other assistive telecommunications equipment to contact the rest of the world - and for the world to contact them! Now, all you need to do to reach any Relay Texas operator is just dial 7-1-1 from any phone. It's the same free, easy-to-use service as before, and it just got easier to use! For additional information, e-mail hoh@deafactioncentertexas.org.

Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO Participant's process for reaching TI Benefits Center via RTX

The participant calls Relay Texas (dial 711) and communicates their needs to the relay service representative. The participant and relay service representative use a text telephone machine to communicate. The relay service representative calls the TI Benefits Center via TI SmartLink (800-890-2600, then press *0) and speaks with an associate. The relay service representative serves as a translator between the participant and the TI Benefits Center, communicating with a text telephone machine with the participant and verbally with the TI Benefits Center.

From the TI Benefits Center perspective, there is no change in call handling procedures. Security is handled the same way and the TI Benefits Center records all of the calls. 

Specialized Telecommunication Assistance Program (STAP)

The State of Texas passed a law providing hard of hearing, deaf, and Texas residents with other disabilities with financial assistance to obtain special equipment to enable them to communicate on the telephone.

You can obtain an application from the Texas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Fill out the application and attach a copy of proof of Texas residency, such as your driver's license or voter registration card.

Indicate the equipment you are requesting: Amplified Phone, TTY, VCO or HCO Phone, TTY with Large Visual Display, modem, Cochlear Implant Patch Cord, artificial Larynx, flashing Ringer Signaler and Telebraille (for deaf-blind persons). Equipment for persons with mobility impairments and persons with cognitive impairments is also available. Mail the application to Texas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (TCDHH). A voucher will be mailed to you along with a list of vendors where you can take the voucher and exchange it for the equipment you have requested.

Equipment ranges in price from $169.00 to $6,000.00, depending on the equipment you need. For more information about available technology, or to find out which equipment is right for you, contact our Technology Center. Another source for equipment availability is Harris Communications.

DAC Technology Center

Deaf Action Center has a Technology Center where you are welcome to come and try out the various equipment, make calls and receive training in using Relay Texas. Their service is free of charge, and the Coordinator of Hard of Hearing Programs or the Hard of Hearing Program Assistant will be happy to help you. For an appointment, call 214-521-0407 voice or TTY.

Background

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires the use of a relay or similar service. Relay is a service that provides a translation link between hearing people and TTY users. The process of using a relay service is very familiar for the deaf, hard-of-hearing, and speech impaired and is available throughout the United States.

The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) was authorized to establish Relay Texas by the Texas Legislature in 1989. The PUC, which is responsible for overseeing the provisions of the relay service, has contracted with Sprint to provide the relay service since 1990. The Relay Texas Advisory Committee of the PUC receives ideas from people to set goals for the service and to make policy recommendations for future improvements and actions. The advisory committee is made up of representatives of various groups including deaf, hard-of-hearing, speech impaired, deaf-blind elderly consumer and telephone industry representatives. Relay Texas is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with no restrictions on the length or number of calls placed.

Sprint provides Texas users with a full range of features from the company's state-of-the-art relay service platform. Those include the ability to communicate in Spanish, the use of a customer database for quicker, more efficient service, last number redial ability, error correction, directory assistance, several billing options, voice carryover and hearing carryover capabilities, and many others.