It lets deaf and hard of hearing people use a textphone to access any services that are available on standard telephone systems.
Typetalk provides a link between any textphone user and a hearing person. The link is a highly trained RNID Typetalk operator who provides a discreet and confidential service. If you are deaf, all you need is a textphone, which is a specially adapted telephone with a keyboard.
How it works
If you are deaf and are calling a hearing person
If you are deaf you should dial 18001 followed by the full telephone number from your textphone. If the call is answered by a hearing person, a Typetalk operator is brought into the call. However, if the call is answered by another textphone user, the connection is direct with no need to involve an operator.
If you are hearing
If you are hearing dial 18002 followed by the full telephone number to make a call to a textphone.
During the call
Once connected, the textphone user types a message from their keyboard and the operator reads it word for word to the hearing person. The hearing person then verbally responds, and the Typetalk operator types exactly what is said so that the deaf person can read the conversation on their textphone display panel.
All calls are confidential.