Using a TTY to contact clinical graduate programs

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Higher Education Accessibility
• Disability Studies

Background:

• Ensuring equitable access to higher education programs is crucial for diverse student populations.
• Clinical and counseling psychology programs are highly sought after, yet accessibility for deaf applicants remains understudied.
• Traditional communication methods may present challenges for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals seeking information.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the accessibility of APA-accredited clinical and counseling psychology programs for deaf applicants.
• To assess the functionality and connectivity of TTY (teletypewriter) phone lines used by these programs.
• To identify barriers deaf applicants face in contacting programs and propose solutions.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive list of 177 APA-accredited clinical and counseling programs was compiled.
• TTY phone numbers were systematically sought for each program.
• Researchers attempted to contact programs using TTY devices to document connection success and routing.

Main Results:

• TTY phone numbers were obtained for 135 programs; 86 were successfully reached using TTY.
• Sixty percent of reachable TTY lines connected to general campus disability services, not directly to psychology departments.
• No TTY lines directly connected to the APA-accredited programs or their departments, indicating a significant communication gap.

Conclusions:

• Current TTY accessibility for APA-accredited psychology programs is inadequate, creating substantial barriers for deaf applicants.
• The indirect routing of TTY calls suggests a systemic issue in providing direct and efficient communication channels.
• Implementing direct TTY access and improving communication protocols is essential to enhance program accessibility for deaf applicants.