ADA Guide for Small Towns

J) Calling 9‒1‒1 and Other Emergency Services.

Dialing 9‒1‒1 is the most familiar and effective way Americans have of finding help in an emergency. The ADA requires all telephone emergency services to provide direct, equal access to their services for people with disabilities who use a TTY.

Equal access means that TTY callers have an opportunity to obtain emergency services that is equal to that of callers who use voice handsets. The telephone emergency services provided for TTY callers must be handled in the same manner as those provided for individuals who make voice calls, in terms of response time, response quality, hours of operation, and all other features offered (e.g., automatic number identification, automatic location identification, automatic call distribution). There must be adequate numbers of TTY’s or equipment to answer TTY calls. If a town or township relies on another government entity to provide its 9‒1‒1 and telephone emergency services, it should inquire about the accessibility of the services (for more information see Access for 9‒1‒1 and Telephone Emergency Services Under the Americans with Disabilities Act).