Commonly Asked Questions About the Americans with Disabilities Act and Law Enforcement

17. Q. What about "911" calls? How are those made accessible to people with speech or hearing disabilities?

A: Individuals with hearing and speech disabilities must have direct access to "911" or similar emergency telephone services, meaning that emergency response centers must be equipped to receive calls from TDD and computer modem users without relying on third parties or state relay services. It is important that operators are trained to use the TDD when the caller is silent, and not only when the operator recognizes the tones of a TDD at the other end of the line. For additional information, please refer to the Department of Justices publication, Commonly Asked Questions Regarding Telephone Emergency Services. For information about how to obtain this and other publications, see the resources section at the end of this document.