|
People with Speech Disabilities Now Have a Telephone Service
People with speech disabilities who are hard for the general public to understand on the telephone now have a special option available to them. As of March 1, 2001, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requires all state Public Utilities/Service Commissions to provide a free telephone assistance service called Speech-to- Speech (STS) that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. People with speech or language disabilities can call a toll-free number for their state and reach a communication assistant (CA) who has received special training in hard-to-understand speech. The caller speaks his or her message to the CA, the CA listens and then restates (or re-voices) the message, word-for- word, to the person being called.
The CA is patient, has received training in many different speech patterns, and has excellent language recognition skills. At no time does the CA participate in the conversation. The CA simply restates what has been said, whether callers use their own voice, a voice prosthesis, or an electronic communication device with speech output.
STS is provided by the same carrier that provides telephone relay services in the state for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. About 6,000 STS calls a month are made nationwide by users with Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease), multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, laryngectomy (removal of the voice box), and other conditions.
Bob Segalman, Ph.D., has cerebral palsy and developed the concept of STS. To try out STS, report problems or get more information, call 800-854-7784 and ask for Dr. Bob Segalman (direct #916-263-8689). Or e-mail him at bsegalma@dor.ca.gov Also see the STS web site http://www.stsnews.com
Dr. Segalman is particularly interested in making sure that people with speech disabilities know about STS. He wants all states to conduct an STS outreach program. If you are willing to sign a support letter for such a program, e-mail Bob at bsegalma@dor.ca.gov , indicate your state, and request a sample letter.
To find the STS access number in your state , go to: http://www.stsnews.com/Pages/STSDial-UpTelnumbers.html
Or, go to the Web site of the FCC’s Disability Rights Office at http://www.fcc.gov/cib/dro/sts.html
|