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FACT SHEET: Telephone
Access for People with Speech Disabilities
from
Dr. Bob Segelman, February 21, 2003
For more articles on disabilities and special ed visit
www.bridges4kids.org.
If you have a speech disability and live in the USA (including
Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands), you can now use a new,
free telephone service 24 hours a day. This service, called
Speech to Speech (STS), provides communication assistants (CAs)
for people with difficulty being understood by the public on
the telephone. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in
Washington DC regulates relay service: STS is a form of relay
service. STS is also available during limited hours in Sweden
and Australia.
STS is provided through the TTY relay in each state. Unlike
TTY, STS enables people with speech disabilities to
communicate by voice through a CA as many people with speech
disabilities have difficulty typing.
People with speech disabilities can dial toll free to reach a
patient, trained CA who is familiar with many speech patterns
and has excellent language recognition skills. This CA makes
telephone calls for them and repeats their words exactly in a
3-way calling environment. Every month users make about 6,000
calls nationally. STS is the only way for many people to
telephone others not accustomed to their speech.
Many STS users have Parkinson's disease, cerebral palsy, ALS,
multiple sclerosis, or muscular dystrophy. Other users stutter
or have had a laryngectomy.
STS also helps some speech synthesizer users, users of
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC.) AAC users
may ask the STS CA set up the call, negotiate the menu,
introduce the call explaining AAC and then go into the
background. This enables AAC users to communicate
independently once the other party is on the line.
In Minnesota and Texas, Deaf Voice Carryover (VCO) Relay users
with slurred speech can combine VCO with STS to facilitate
communication.
Bob Segalman, Ph.D. has cerebral palsy and developed the
concept of STS. Now it makes telephone use much easier for
him. To try out STS, report problems or get more information:
Call 800-854-7784 and ask for Dr. Bob Segalman (direct
916-263-8689). You may also visit the STS website:
http://www.stsnews.com/
or contact Katherine Keller at
listserve@stsnews.com
to place you on the STS List Serve.
Bob is gathering support letters to insure that every state
implements an STS Outreach Service to tell people with speech
disabilities about STS.. If you're willing to sign a support
letter, please e-mail Bob at:
bsegalma@dor.ca.gov
and indicate which state you live in and request a
draft.
For a list of U. S. Speech-to-Speech access numbers go to:
http://www.stsnews.com/RelayNews/STSDialUpTelnumbers.html
You can also access STS by dialing 711 and asking for Speech
to Speech. If the communications assistant can not assist you
with an STS call, please let Bob know by e-mail stating your
name, date and time of call, location, and telephone number.
Australia provides Speech to Speech Relay (SSR). Contact:
Bobbie Blackson at
feedback@aceinfo.net.au.
Sweden has just extended its STS trial for one year. Contact:
Birgit G Lindh at
birgit.g.lindh@telia.com. Tel.0046-175
623 68 (work)
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