Better telecoms for the deaf

Changes in UK regulation, plus pioneering services from the US, may lead to improved telecoms for deaf people

In previous columns I have occasionally mentioned the problems that deaf people have in using telecoms systems designed for people with normal hearing. Things have been slowly improving but there is still a lot to be done.

Many deaf people use a device called a textphone - basically a special terminal with keyboard, display and modem - to communicate over the telephone network. As well as communicating with other textphone users, it is also possible to talk to hearing people via a relay service, where operators voice the text from the deaf person and type the speech from the hearing one.

In the UK, the system is called Typetalk and is run by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), funded by BT. In addition, BT has introduced a special communications platform, called TextDirect, that automates many of the features associated with relay calls and reduces the costs of providing the service.

However, a large number of deaf people use British Sign Language (BSL) and feel left out because they can't use the telephone system in their native language. The British Deaf Association (BDA) specialises in the problems of BSL users and has long wanted to provide a communications system and relay service especially for them. One might think this just means setting up a videophone system, but there is much more to it than that.

Running video over the telephone network usually means using expensive terminals running on expensive ISDN connections. This gives just about enough quality for signing to be received correctly. Bear in mind that many of the movements associated with BSL are very fast, especially when spelling out special English words. Video improvements are being made all the time but the expense of the equipment and calls still remains.

Sign language users in the US face the same problems and an organisation called Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) has been set up to deal with them. It operates a video relay service using broadband connections and PC software such as Microsoft's NetMeeting. BDA has recently announced a collaboration with CSD to set up a video relay service in the UK using the experience gained in the US.

This is great news for BSL users but there is one huge problem: funding. In the US, relay services are funded by a tiny levy on the price of each phone call carried by all the networks. But no such fund exists in the UK. BT pays for the text relay service because its operating licence requires it to do so, but it is not obliged to pay for any other relay services.

Under last year's Communications Act, the regulatory regime has changed dramatically. Among other changes, mobile operators are now required to provide relay services.

Now is a great moment to look again at the funding of relay services, perhaps using the US model. Regulator Ofcom is showing interest and let's hope that it introduces such a scheme.