Deaf-Blind and 9-1-1
- Thread starter kerryc
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Hear Again
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I'm totally deafblind. Prior to receiving my CIs, I used a TeleBraille (Braille TTY) or NexTalk for telephone access.
It is my understanding that when a deafblind person needs to call 911, they do so directly via a TeleBraille, NexTalk or large display TTY. If a deafblind person has enough residual hearing, they may use an amplified phone with or without a neckloop, headphones or direct audio input.
911 call centers are required to be able to handle TTY communications and all TTY relay providers (with the exception of Internet relay) can also handle these calls.
Some deafblind people may also dial 911 directly on a voice phone and leave the phone on the hook (so the operator can hear what is happening on the other end of the line). If a deafblind person has the ability to voice for himself/herself, they may indicate that they are deafblind and specify their emergency.
I had an incident 2 years ago when I had to seek medical treatment for my late mother who had terminal cancer. I didn't have access to a TeleBraille or NexTalk, so I dialed 911 directly, indicated that I was deafblind, told the operator my emergency and left the phone on the hook.
Fortunately, medical assistance arrived but I wish there would have been a direct way for me to communicate with the 911 operator. Since I couldn't hear the operator answer the phone, there was no way for me to know that my call had been answered.
It is my understanding that when a deafblind person needs to call 911, they do so directly via a TeleBraille, NexTalk or large display TTY. If a deafblind person has enough residual hearing, they may use an amplified phone with or without a neckloop, headphones or direct audio input.
911 call centers are required to be able to handle TTY communications and all TTY relay providers (with the exception of Internet relay) can also handle these calls.
Some deafblind people may also dial 911 directly on a voice phone and leave the phone on the hook (so the operator can hear what is happening on the other end of the line). If a deafblind person has the ability to voice for himself/herself, they may indicate that they are deafblind and specify their emergency.
I had an incident 2 years ago when I had to seek medical treatment for my late mother who had terminal cancer. I didn't have access to a TeleBraille or NexTalk, so I dialed 911 directly, indicated that I was deafblind, told the operator my emergency and left the phone on the hook.
Fortunately, medical assistance arrived but I wish there would have been a direct way for me to communicate with the 911 operator. Since I couldn't hear the operator answer the phone, there was no way for me to know that my call had been answered.
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PowerWCRulez
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I've experinced with a 911 center, long time ago, when I was working on the computer in my living room, I heard a shot fired 4 times in the back of apt or under-pass freeway bridge (before start construction of city train system). I turned off my answering machine and dailed 911, press a space bar several times till a "TTY detector" detected my tty tone, it's start communicating. "Minneapolis 911 Center, what's your emergency? ga" (the Minneapolis center covered hennepin county area), I typed "Shot fired in my area, can you please send the park ranger or police to check the area either parks or under-pass bridge near my home (address)." the 911 operator told me, they received a 7 calls in my same area about shot fired. Now this year the new technology system called "Shotspotter" in my city. when someone shot fired, the shotspotter system will automatically electronics to all onboard computer squad cars to get pops up on the screen, and they caught a shooter, that where shotspotter scanned a gunner hidden in the area.
I like a shotspotter detection system, it's very helpfully police can find a shooter in the area.
I like a shotspotter detection system, it's very helpfully police can find a shooter in the area.