TTY/TDD Communication Services for Federal Contact Centers What
It Is Text Telephones (TTY), also known as Telecommunications
Device for the Deaf (TDD), are used by the deaf,
hard–of–hearing, and individuals with speech impairments to
communicate. There are more than 6 million deaf individuals in
the United States, according to a Gallaudet University estimate.
The process is similar to chat on computers, where one person
types text to the other on these devices. Both individuals in
the conversation must have a TTY at each end of the telephone
line in order to communicate. Some TTYs can be connected to the
phone line by placing the telephone handset in an acoustic
coupler; others can connect directly to the phone line. Why It's
Important Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29
U.S.C. 794d), as amended, requires that individuals with
disabilities, who are seeking information or services from a
federal agency, have access to—and use of—information and data
that is comparable to that provided to members