Should a required text telephone–or TTY capability–be provided at a wheelchair accessible telephone?
With careful design and placement of a standard TTY/text telephone adjacent to an accessible pay phone, it is possible to serve all users with a single station. However, text telephone units that are affixed below a standard pay telephone mounted at a height accessible to people in wheelchairs will be too low for standing persons to use the keyboard comfortably or to see the display screen. They may also obstruct the required knee space. ADAAG distinguishes–in both scoping and technical provisions–between access to telephones for persons who use wheelchairs, persons who are hard of hearing, and persons who do not communicate by voice. Where can public pay text telephones be obtained? TTY capability is typically added to a standard telephone housing and does not affect use of the pay phone by the hearing public. Units are commercially available from the same sources as are standard public pay telephones and enclosures. All devices should be carefully evaluated against ADA regulations
