Access for 9-1-1 and Telephone Emergency Services

Requiring Callers Using TTYs to Press a Key

In the past, some PSAPs have required callers using TTYs to press the space bar or other keys after they call, to emit tones and notify call takers that it is a TTY call. This requirement violates the ADA. Requiring TTY callers to press keys repeatedly until recognized is unfamiliar to most TTY callers, and callers cannot be relied on to perform such unfamiliar tasks, especially in emergency situations. Further, in many emergency situations there may not be time or opportunity to press keys repeatedly until recognized.

ILLUSTRATION: A 9-1-1 call taker answers a call, responds with a standard spoken greeting, and expects to hear a spoken response. If the call taker receives a silent, open line, the call taker should query the line verbally a second time, and then query the line using a TTY to determine if the call is from a TTY user.