The question is whether the phone system he is talking about upgrading is for use by the public or only by staff. As of October 1, 2001 federal law mandated the institution of a nationwide relay system. So, dialing 711 anywhere in the United States will now connect the caller to a relay operator who will place a voice or TTY call for the caller. There are very specific requirements for public phones outlined in the ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) which can be found at www.access-board.gov or you can contact your local Disability Business and Technical Assistance Center(DBTAC) by calling 800-949-4232. Your state may have passed state codes/laws that are more stringent than the ADA. It is always safest to comply with which ever law is more stringent whether state, county, city or federal. I am unaware of any part of the ADA which requires a place of public accommodation to have a TTY for incoming calls. You should have staff trained to accept and place relay calls, and it is certainly a good marketing tool to have a TTY for ease of use and convenience for deaf and speech impaired patrons/visitors who would like to contact you. Betty Siegel Manager of Accessibility The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Washington, D.C. 20566-0001 [log in to unmask] -----Original Message----- From: Schroder, Leah [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2001 3:37 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Accommodating hearing impaired visitors--alternatives to TTD/ TTY? Thank you for raising this important topic. TTY/TDD phones are the most preferable form of telephone communication for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Relay operators are primarily to facilitate a phone conversation between a deaf and a hearing person. A relay operator acts as an "interpreter" between the two parties. Most importantly, you need to refer to your state and federal Americans with Disabilities Act regulations. Every state has an ADA hotline that can answer your questions regarding accessibility requirements. You may be required to keep a TTY number at your museum. Best wishes, Leah Leah C. Schroder, Assistant Educator Programs for Visitors with Disabilities and Special Needs The Museum of Modern Art 11 West 53rd Street New York, NY 10019 212.708.9864 212.247.1230 TTY/TDD http://www.moma.org/docs/visiting/specialneeds/index.htm Subscribe to our free MoMA Education E-News http://www.momaenews.org > -----Original Message----- > From: Max van Balgooy [SMTP:[log in to unmask]] > Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2001 2:10 PM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Accommodating hearing impaired visitors--alternatives to > TTD/TTY? > > We're upgrading phone systems at our sites and I was wondering if the > TTD/TTY terminals are still a common mode of communicating with > hearing-impaired visitors, or if "relay operators" are becoming more > common, > or if there are more convenient/more reliable systems available? > > Thanks! > > Max A. van Balgooy, > Director of Interpretation and Education > National Trust for Historic Preservation > > ========================================================= > Important Subscriber Information: > > The Museum-L FAQ file is located at > http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed > information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail > message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should > read "help" (without the quotes). > > If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to > [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read > "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).