Real-Time Communication Etiquette for Communicating with Customers with Disabilities

Hearing Impairments

People with hearing impairments may have mild to severe hearing loss or may be completely deaf. When communicating with people who are deaf or hard of hearing, keep in mind that:

• For some individuals with mild hearing loss, it might help to raise your voice.
• Other individuals may use hearing aids or amplified telephones, which can sometimes result in high-pitched feedback on the telephone. If you hear feedback, let the customer know so he/she may be able to make simple adjustments to minimize the noise.
• Other individuals with more severe hearing loss may use a TTY (teletypewriter), which is a telephone device that enables individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to make and receive telephone calls to other TTY users. Businesses should have a TTY or TTY software on site. Customer service representatives should be trained on how to use a TTY and proper TTY etiquette.
• Individuals who are severely hearing impaired or deaf may use a relay service, which is a 24 hour, 7 day a week, free assistance service that allows TTY users to call people who do not have a TTY.  To use a relay service, an individual uses his/her TTY to contact a relay operator who also has a TTY. The operator then calls the customer service center and serves as an interpreter.  When the individual at the recipient end of the call answers, the operator explains his or her role in the call and from that point forward will relay the communication between the two parties exactly as stated by both parties. When using the relay system, keep in mind that the relay operator types everything you say so do not make comments that you do not want the customer to hear.
• Some individuals may use a video relay service to communicate. Individuals can communicate through a sign language interpreter by placing a video relay call. Video relay calls are made using a high-speed or broadband Internet connection and a videophone, Web camera, or similar technologies.  The person who is deaf signs (e.g., using American Sign Language) to a video interpreter (communications assistant), who then communicates with a hearing person by relaying the conversation between the two parties. For more information regarding video relay services, see the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) "Consumer Facts Sheet: Video Relay Services" at http://www.fcc.gov/guides/video-relay-services