Are courts required to have TTYs to communicate with people who have hearing or speech impairments?
No. Public entities that communicate by telephone must provide equally effective communication to individuals with disabilities, including hearing and speech impairments. If telephone relay services, such as those required by Title IV of the ADA, are available, these services generally may be used to meet this requirement. Relay services involve a relay operator who uses both a standard telephone and a TTY to type the voice messages to the TTY user and read the TTY messages to the standard telephone user. Where such services are available, public employees must be instructed to accept and handle relayed calls in the normal course of business. However, state and local agencies that provide emergency telephone services must provide “direct access” to individuals who rely on a TTY or computer modem for telephone communication. Telephone access through a third party or through a relay service does not satisfy the requirement for direct access.
Related Questions
- Do all city departments or a city assisted program have to have TDDs to communicate with people who have hearing or speech impairments?
- Are courts required to have TTYs (teletypewriters) to communicate with people who are hard of hearing or have speech impairments?
- Are courts required to have TTYs to communicate with people who have hearing or speech impairments?
