Miss-Delectable
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Floods cut Australia's deaf telephone service - National News - National - General - The Canberra Times
Telephone services for deaf and hearing- and speech-impaired Australians have been disrupted after the National Relay Service was forced to evacuate its main call centre in Brisbane due to the risk of flooding.
The National Relay Service was this afternoon only able to hand emergency "106" calls from telephone typewriter (TTY) users.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said the service would not be able to answer other calls.
ACMA Chairman Chris Chapman said his staff were working with the service to find a "dry and operational location'' for a back-up server.
"With the assistance of NRS outreach provider, the ACMA is also using all available channels to communicate the situation to the deaf, hearing and speech impaired community, asking that only emergency calls to the NRS be made at this time,'' he said.
National Relay Service operators act as telephone "voices'' for people with hearing and speech-impairments by reading out their typed messages to people they wish to converse with.
Telephone services for deaf and hearing- and speech-impaired Australians have been disrupted after the National Relay Service was forced to evacuate its main call centre in Brisbane due to the risk of flooding.
The National Relay Service was this afternoon only able to hand emergency "106" calls from telephone typewriter (TTY) users.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said the service would not be able to answer other calls.
ACMA Chairman Chris Chapman said his staff were working with the service to find a "dry and operational location'' for a back-up server.
"With the assistance of NRS outreach provider, the ACMA is also using all available channels to communicate the situation to the deaf, hearing and speech impaired community, asking that only emergency calls to the NRS be made at this time,'' he said.
National Relay Service operators act as telephone "voices'' for people with hearing and speech-impairments by reading out their typed messages to people they wish to converse with.