Attention: Deaf canadians!

thank you so much information to know me !!
 
Your welcome-any time Cheers Bill

Implanted Advanced Bionics-Harmony activated Aug/07
 
Anij: I just checked my CURRENT Bell Canada phone bill-there is NO listing for TTY service. There is a listing for 911 emergency service access-0.18 per month.

Implanted Advanced Bionics-Harmony activated Aug/07

Exactly! - I'm guessing that you thought that if you looked at the bill you'd find an explanation or at least statement about 711/Relay since it's a service that they offer??

One would think/hope that phone companies etc WOULD mention/advertise/explain things like Relay Services - the univerally DON'T.

Relay Services, be they "traditional" (using a TTY) or more "technologically advanced" versions (ie IM relay, IP relay, Video Relay etc) simply aren't "advertised" at all by the providers!!

At most there will be a few word explanation for the 25¢ - 50¢ (or whatever it is) Relay Fee (sometimes simply called "711 fee" - which most people mis read at "911" not "711)


Personally - I think that if phone/media companies did a better more public job of explaining both on their monthly statements, and on the TV/internet etc WHAT "Relay Services" are to the "general public" there would be a lot fewer problems with individuals and many businesses either hanging up on, or being frustrated with relay calls.
("Hang ups" are much less common with VCO calls ... I haven't been hung up when using VCO, however I have been hung up using "traditional" (ie:I type, not talk) TTY Relay (from the same company) - simply because the didn't understand what was happening and thought it was a "joke"/"prank" etc - not because they were being discriminatory etc)


I guess the bottom line is ... Whenever a new relay service, communication service for the Hoh/Deaf/SI DOES come out from Bell (or is available in your area and available / accessible to you) - it's almost 100% guaranteed that you will NOT see or hear ANYTHING about it - from the company providing it, or any other "official source" that you'd expect to hear/see it from ... instead, you'll more than likely find out about it on a site like this, through and email from CHS or some other "non-official, word of mouth source".

Weird isn't it
 
Anij: The reason TTY doesn't show up on my phone bill- I am NOT paying for the service specifically. Just part of the "monthly service-residence line" which everyone who uses Bell pay. Not sure about other companies-MTS?
Whether the "rollout" of IP etc will cost one specifically- no idea- at the present time. I assume "some additional cost will be associated".-how much? In due course-this will be known.

Implanted Advanced Bionics-Harmony activated Aug/07.
 
Anij: The reason TTY doesn't show up on my phone bill- I am NOT paying for the service specifically. Just part of the "monthly service-residence line" which everyone who uses Bell pay. Not sure about other companies-MTS?
Whether the "rollout" of IP etc will cost one specifically- no idea- at the present time. I assume "some additional cost will be associated".-how much? In due course-this will be known.

Implanted Advanced Bionics-Harmony activated Aug/07.

You've misunderstood.

In North America, part of everyone's landline phone bill cost (regardless of specific provider) is both a 911 "emergency fee" as well as a 711/Relay fee. Many phone companies write these both out on the bill for their clients to be able to see, while some companies (like Bell, apparently) do NOT separate the "billing" out to show 711/Relay as a month fee on everyone's bill (the cost si typically the same as the 911 fee). My point was that regardless of if a company does have a separate "711/relay" line with the cost on the bill, or not - universally they never actaully EXPLAIN what "711/relay" IS. Because none of the currently available 711 services are ever actually explained to any clients on any of their bills - it's logical to state that any upcoming or new Relay services will NOT be "explained" to customers on their bill either ... it's just not how it's done (I've had phone service with a number of providers, none have ever detailed out what 711 is, or their services for TTY/Relay users etc on the bill.)
 
Anij: Bell Canada DID send an insert explaining BCRS. I have a copy which explains how the Relay service works which started in 1987. It says the cost of $0.13 a month was added to everyone's phone bill. It is April 1. 1996. Yeah- I got my TTY in January 1996 that is why I still have it as part of all the info on using my TTY. The number then was 1 800 346-7531 using TTY1 800 771-6179. Not secret to me or CHS assistive devices section-Toronto.
I also have Bell Call Answer Quick Reference Guide which is now call Telemessage service which I continue to access via the Relay service-to this day.
As I have noted before I am a Bell Canada customer. Yeah this computer is "hooked into" Bell lines-at NO additional cost. ( My computer son did this-a long time ago.) No reason to change-at the present time.

Implanted Advanced Bionics-Harmony activated Aug/07
 
Wirelessly posted

The TTY is a dinosaur in the Deaf Community, imho. You will see pagers, VP and internet [FB, AIM/MSN and/or email] being used in place of the TTY. The only places that still carries the TTY interestingly enough are the governmental buildings, jails, hospitals and courthouses. The only reason they still must have this is that they can ID you using caller ID.
 
As for "TTY being a dinosaur in the Deaf Community"-irrelevant to me. Still use. I assume TTY will be around as long as phones are in service. Yeah, I am aware one can send Emails from their computer.

Implanted Advanced Bionics-Harmony activated Aug/07
 
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