Access Number for Deaf, 711, Launches Today

Today marks the launch of 711, a nationwide access number for telephone relay services that bridge the communication gap between the hearing and the hearing impaired.

Under the relay system, used in California and other states, a hearing person calls the access number and tells the operator the phone number of the recipient’s special typing machine, known as a TTY. The operator dials into the TTY machine and acts as a link between the two parties, typing in the spoken sentences from the hearing caller and reading aloud the typed responses from the deaf or hard-of-hearing person on the line. The service also works in reverse, with the TTY user dialing the 711 access line and using the operator to call the hearing person’s phone number.

Until today, nearly every state used its own toll-free access number, forcing users to look up the appropriate access numbers for each locale. The federally mandated 711 is a uniform number that will work throughout the country.

The service and the initial connection are free and are funded through special charges on all phone bills. Callers are charged for long-distance and toll calls.

To celebrate the 711 launch, San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown will place a call today from the Bay Area to deaf actress Marlee Matlin, who will be using a TTY machine in Los Angeles.