Text telecommunication for people who are deaf: assessing the use of a text-relay service

This study investigated the pattern and frequency of telephone use by people with a profound or severe hearing impairment. The main purpose was to assess the benefits of text telecommunication for making calls by typing rather than speaking and listening. Data on 169 adults were obtained by personal interview. The sample was stratified between subscribers to an experimental text-relay service and non-subscribers: a minority of respondents in both groups used a text telephone for direct telecommunication. Access to the relay service increased independent use of the telephone significantly above that of other respondents, whether for social contact, conducting personal business, or in paid work. The text-relay service was less than satisfactory for urgent calls and apparently did not encourage reciprocal contact. Nearly all respondents, subscribers and non-subscribers alike, relied on other people making or receiving calls on their behalf via an ordinary telephone. Direct text telecommunication was as important as the text-relay service for social contact, especially with friends. The costs of telephone text equipment were substantially more than those normally incurred by hearing people. The implications for improving deaf people's access to the telephone are discussed.