Release Source: Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission; AT&T
PUC and AT&T Launch Campaign to Raise Awareness About Telecommunications Relay Services
Thursday March 25, 10:35 am ET
'Spread the Word! Communicate by Phone with People who have Hearing and Speech Loss'
HARRISBURG, Pa., March 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC), Pennsylvania's Telecommunications Relay Service provider, AT&T, and Christy Smith, from CBS TV's "Survivor: The Amazon," today announced a new statewide campaign, "Spread the Word! Communicate by phone with people who have hearing or speech loss."
This campaign represents the joint efforts of the PUC and the Pennsylvania Relay Service Advisory Board to educate the hearing public about relay technology to enhance the opportunities of people with hearing loss and speech disabilities for communicating with the hearing public in their daily lives. The campaign is driven by a recent study showing that less than 9 percent of the hearing public in Pennsylvania is aware of relay services. One out of every 12 Pennsylvanians is deaf, hard of hearing or has speech disabilities.
"This is an important day for all Pennsylvanians," said PUC Commissioner Wendell F. Holland. "Our research confirmed the concerns expressed by the Relay Service Advisory Board that there is a low awareness level among hearing people about how to communicate with their fellow Pennsylvanians with hearing or speech loss. This means we all must do a better job educating each other about relay services."
The launch event was held at the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts in Harrisburg at the "Culture and Communication" exhibit. Simultaneous events were held at the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in Pittsburgh, hosted by school Superintendent Donald E. Rhoten, and the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, hosted by AT&T-Pennsylvania President J. Michael Schweder. All three locations were connected by videoconference. Participants at the remote locations were able to ask questions to those in Harrisburg through a live demonstration of the relay technology.
The event featured campaign spokesperson Christy Smith, an advocate for deaf awareness and the only deaf person ever to compete on the CBS TV's reality series "Survivor."
"Every Pennsylvanian can benefit from better communication," Smith said. "On 'Survivor,' I refused to let my deafness be an obstacle, and I went far in the game. However, in life, people like me face obstacles because the hearing public is largely unaware of relay services."
The two-year campaign will start on April 1. It will feature: billboards; print and radio ads; articles and interviews; a Web site,
www.PArelay.net ; a toll-free phone number, 1-800-682-8706; a traveling exhibit; education aimed at school-aged children; and more.
"This campaign is about educating all Pennsylvanians so that people who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech disabled can be empowered by new PA Relay technology and the benefits of the Technological Revolution," said PUC Commissioner Glen R. Thomas. "The goal of our two-year campaign is for businesses, organizations and individuals to recognize a relay call when they pick up the phone."
The relay service was first developed in the 1960s and became widely used by the 1980s. PA Relay began in 1990. However, hearing people often hang up when they receive a call, not realizing it is coming from someone with a hearing loss or speech disability. Many who have hearing loss or a speech disability have difficulty getting information from hearing persons who do not know how to place a call through the system.
"When people know how the system works, it works great," said PUC Commissioner Kim Pizzingrilli. "The trouble begins when a hearing recipient who is unfamiliar with relay hangs up, thinking they have received a prank call, a telemarketer or a wrong number. And the problems occur the other way, too -- the hearing person may need to call someone who is deaf, hard of hearing or speech disabled, but is unfamiliar with dialing 711."
PA Relay offers three basic types of relay service -- Text Telephone (or TTY Relay), Internet Relay and Video Relay. TTY is the most common system. Any person who dials 711 is automatically transferred to a communications assistant who will facilitate a confidential call between the person using a standard phone and a person using a TTY. In a typical relay call, the person who has a hearing loss or speech disability uses a modem to type and read during the "conversation," while the relay assistant speaks with the hearing person and types words to the person who has a hearing loss or speech disability. In other types of relay calls the relay assistant transcribes only half of the call allowing people with a hearing loss to speak for themselves while those with a speech disability can directly hear the person they have called.
AT&T Accessible Communication Services General Manager Sue Decker, who also is hard of hearing, explained AT&T's role in the campaign.
"As the service provider in Pennsylvania, we have an obligation to serve our customers and provide quick, simple communications to all consumers," Decker said. "If we can raise awareness among the hearing public about relay services, we'll all communicate more effectively."
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission ensures safe, reliable and reasonably priced electric, natural gas, water, telephone and transportation service for Pennsylvania consumers, by regulating public utilities and by serving as responsible stewards of competition.
"Spread the Word! Communicate by phone with people who have hearing or speech loss." Visit
www.PArelay.net or call 1-800-682-8706.
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Source: Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission; AT&T
