Relay Connecticut - Text Only

Telecommunications Relay Service
Signed into law on July 26 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a wide-ranging legislation intended to make the American Society more accessible to people with disabilities.

As shown in the Americans with Disabilities Act - Title IV, it says telecommunications companies offering telephone service to the general public must make available telephone relay service to individuals who use TTYs or similar devices.

During July 1993, the Department of Public Utility approved Sprint's offer for Connecticut Relay service based on recommendations from the Telecommunications Relay Service Task Force. Then, Sprint renewed its relay service in 1997 with the Department of Public Utility for five (5) years.

In 2002, Sprint and Hamilton submitted their bids. Again, Sprint was heavily favored by Connecticut residents and then, renewed its relay service for another five (5) years.

Sprint has provided telephone relay services since 1990. At present, Sprint serve 28 states, Puerto Rico and the switchboard for Federal Government in Washington, D.C. There are 11 Relay Centers throughout the U.S.A.

Connecticut Relay is located in Bloomfield, Connecticut and has one full time account manager.

Relay Connecticut
Relay Connecticut (RCT) is a free service that provides full telephone accessibility to people who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, and speech-disabled. This service allows text-telephone (TTY) users to communicate with standard telephone users through specially training relay operators.

Calls can be made to anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with no restrictions on the number, length, or type of calls. All calls are strictly confidential and no records of any conversations are maintained.

Anyone who wishes to use RCT simply dials the toll free relay number to connect with a communciation assistant (CA). The CA will dial the requested number and relay the conversation between the two callers.

A neat feature about RCT is 7-1-1 . It is an easy number to remember for dialing relay services.

RCT service, provided by Connecticut telephone companies through a contract with Sprint, is used to assist communications between people who use text telephones (TTY's) and people who use voice telephones. Specially trained operators facilitate communications between the two callers. Each call is handled in strict confidence.

Converse Communications Corporation
Converse Communications Corporation (formerly Converse Communications Center) (CCC) as a non-profit tax exempt organization was first established in the USA in 1974 to provide telecommunications access for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing people living in Connecticut. The state-wide service began on February 11, 1974, providing telecommunications relay service, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. William "Bill" Yoreo and his wife, Grace were the directors of CCC.

While they worked with deaf people at a local church, Bill and Grace realized that the vast majority of the deaf community were without telephones and TTYs. They obtained a grant to distribute TTYs to the deaf and hard of hearing population in Connecticut. David, their son joined them to run their business.

CCC eventually grew from their home to relocate to a building within the American School for the Deaf campus and then moved to an office building in Bloomfield.

At the same time, CCC also operated the captioned TELENEWS Service to broadcast on all five public television channels and provided live AP News, Sports, and Stock Market Reports. TELENEWS provided items of local interests, a calendar of events, and weather reports.

In addition, CCC manages the TTY Loan Program, along with their popular state-wide TTY directories, which are updated on an annual basis. With the changing business environment and the entry of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1993, CCC became a partner with Relay Connecticut, providing the TTY Loan Program for deaf, hard-of-hearing and speech-disabled people living in Connecticut.

Currently, CCC distributes TTYs to the deaf, hard-of-hearing and speech-disabled people in Connecticut. Repair services are included in this program. TTY directories are generated on an annual basis.

Additionally, CCC sells a large variety of custom-made equipment for telecommunications and accomodational needs, ranging from TTYs, Alarm Clocks to Doorbell signalers and Payphone TTYs.

How and What Equipment to Use Relay Service?
For Hearing (or Voice Caller):
You don't need any special devices for calling the relay service. When you plan to call a deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, or speech-disabled individual, all you do is to simply dial toll free numbers:

You will hear a voice recording telling you to press "1" to make a relay call. Then you will give the CA the area code and telephone number you wish to call and any further instructions. The CA will process your call, relaying exactly what the TTY user is typing. The CA will relay what you say back to the TTY user.

For Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, Deaf-Blind, or Speech Disabled:
The most common device used to make a relay call is a TTY (text telephone device) that can be used together with a phone handset. However, the equipment you need may vary depending upon the type of relay service you use. For more information on how to obtain a device in your area for your specific needs, call Sprint Customer Service at 1-800-676-3777 (TTY/Voice/ASCII).

In Connecticut , equipment is available to deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, or speech-disabled relay users at no cost. Click here for more information about the TTY Loan Program.