Using The Relay Service

TTY

A person who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, or speech-disabled uses a TTY to type his/her conversation to a communication assistant (CA), who then reads the typed conversation to a hearing person. The CA relays the hearing person's spoken words by typing them back to the TTY user.

Voice

Standard telephone users can easily initiate calls to TTY users. The communication assistant will type the hearing person's spoken words to the TTY user and reads back the typed replies by voice to the hearing individual.

Spanish Relay Service

Relay Nevada offers Spanish Relay service. TTY users can type in Spanish and the conversations will be relayed in Spanish. To request Spanish Relay, type in the area code and telephone number and then type "SPANISH TO SPANISH GA."

Spanish to English Translation is offered as well. The dialing numbers are 1-800-877-1219 (TTY/ASCII/Voice).







Computer with Dial-Up Modem (ASCII)

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Federal Relay

Federal Relay is a Federal Government service to allow Federal employees who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf/blind and/or have speech disabilities equal communication access. Federal Relay broadens employment and advancement opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

For more information, go to www.federalrelay.us.







CapTel

CapTel stands for “captioned telephone”.  It is ideal for people with some degree of hearing loss and works like any other phone with one important addition: it displays every word the non-CapTel user says.  

CapTel users place a call the same way as dialing a traditional phone.  As they dial, the CapTel automatically connects to a captioning service.  When the other party answers, the CapTel user will hear what is said just like a traditional phone.  As they talk a specially trained CA at the captioned center transcribes everything the other party says into text, using the latest of voice-recognition technology.  The text appears on a bright, easy-to-read display window built into the CapTel phone.  The captions appear almost instantly with the spoken word, allowing the CapTel user to understand everything that is said—either by hearing or by reading it.






Voice Carry Over (VCO)

Voice Carryover (VCO) allows hard-of-hearing users to speak directly to a hearing person. When the hearing person speaks to them, a CA will serve as the "ears" and type everything voiced by the hearing person so the VCO user can read it on a TTY or text display.

Voice Carry Over with Privacy

This is similar to the standard VCO feature. However, the CA will not hear the VCO person speaking, and will only type voiced responses back to the VCO user which they can hear and read on their TTY.







Two-Line Voice Carry Over (2LVCO)

Two-line VCO allows a customer with two telephone lines to use one line for speaking directly to a hearing person while the other line is used to receive the hearing person's typed responses at the same time. This feature provides a more natural flow of conversation without the pauses of single-line calls.







VCO to TTY

The CA will only type what the VCO user says to the TTY user. Whatever the TTY user types willshow up directly on the TTY or text display of the VCO phone. "GA" is needed for this type of call.







VCO to VCO

The CA will serve as both VCO users "ears" and type to each VCO user what the other voices. "GA" is needed for this type of call.







Hearing Carry Over (HCO)

Hearing Carryover (HCO) allows speech-disabled users with hearing to listen to the person they are calling. The HCO user types his/her conversation on TTY for the CA to read to the standard telephone user.

HCO to TTY

The HCO user types his/her conversation directly to the TTY user. HCO users can listen while the CA is reading/voicing the TTY user's typed reply message.







HCO to HCO

HCO users can contact other HCO users through Relay Nevada. The CA will voice to both parties what is typed on each other's TTY.







Sprint Video Relay Service (VRS)

Internet Relay Service (Sprint Relay Online or SRO) makes Relay communication possible through your computer without the use of TTY devices and currently there is no charge for long distance calls made through the Internet. Use your browser to connect at www.sprintrelayonline.com .

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Sprint Relay Online (SRO) - Internet







Speech to Speech

Speech disabled individuals may make STS calls, where specially trained communication assistant listen in to a call and serve as the speech-disabled user's voice and repeat his/her responses to the called party if needed. There may be instances where an STS user will be asked to repeat his/her message to ensure that it is conveyed correctly. The STS user hears the called party's voice.







900 Toll Service

Relay Users dial a separate toll-free 900 number (1-900-230-2300) to connect with Relay Nevada. The relay agent will then dial the requested outbound 900 or 800 which will probably be a pay per call number. Upon connection to the 900 number, billing procedures will begin. (Billing procedures may apply differently depending on the 900 service called).







International Calling

Relay Neavda allows you to place and receive calls to and from anywhere in the world (using English or Spanish language only). Calls originating from a country outside of the US may also access Relay Nevada by dialing (605) 224-1837.







TTY Public Payphones

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued an order outlining an interim plan for access to public pay phone service through Relay services. The current order states that:

• All local calls from TTY pay phones are free of charge.
• Toll calls can be billed through calling cards and prepaid cards.
• TTY users who wish to use a coin TTY pay phone can use Relay Nevada to assist in connecting calls. There are several ways to bill non-local calls: collect; third party; calling card or prepaid card.







Directory Assistance

Relay Nevada will relay Directory Assistance (DA) calls between TTY users and the Local Exchange Carrier (LEC) DA operator. Once the caller makes the request, the CA will contact the appropriate LEC DA operator. After obtaining the number, the caller may choose to place the call through Relay Nevada or dial it directly TTY to TTY.







Answering Machine Retrieval

TTY users can request Relay Nevada to retrieve messages from their voice answering machines or voice mail. To request answering machine retrieval, type "AMR" with instructions or password and then "GA." The CA will type, "PLS PLCE YOUR HANDSET NEXT TO YOUR ANS MACHINE AND TURN ON GA." Place your handset on the speaker part of the answering machine until all messages have been retrieved. Then place the handset back on the TTY and type "GA." The CA will type your messages.







Emergency Call

In case of emergency, TTY users should call 9-1-1. Calls made directly and immediately to 9-1-1 can save valuable time in urgent situations. 9-1-1 dispatchers are trained to answer TTY calls. If an emergency call is made to Relay, we will help, but it will not be as fast as to dial 9-1-1 direct.