ORANGE : Library Gives Deaf a Reference Tool

The hearing-impaired in Orange now have access to library services long available to the general public.

Thanks to a new telephone system at the Central Library in Orange, hearing-impaired patrons can make requests over the phone that would otherwise need to be made in person.

The Telecommunication Device for the Deaf, or TDD, will allow deaf students to call the reference desk with questions or to find out if their favorite book is available without having to make the trip downtown.

The device, a tool commonly used at home by the hearing-impaired, is like a teletype. Patrons dial a special extension at the library and type in a request that prints out at the main branch.

All six reference librarians have been trained to operate the machine and will return calls as soon as possible, said Bob Felthaus, reference supervisor.

The idea to install the system came from a library employee who has a deaf relative, Felthaus said.

“The staff member mentioned that there are a lot of deaf people who are really isolated from library services,” Felthaus said. “On most staffs, there isn’t anyone who can ‘sign’ and we thought if we had the TDD, we could give (the deaf) an access point they are familiar with.”

Friends of the Orange Public Library, a local support group, raised several hundred dollars to set up the system, Felthaus said.

So far, however, the requests in Orange have been few, Felthaus said. Since the system was installed last November, requests from the hearing-impaired have averaged only one per week.

“I still think it’s worth it,” Felthaus said, “Because it’s one more person you’re able to help, and it’s a person who often doesn’t get the help they need.”

To reach the library service for the hearing impaired, call (714) 997-2241.