Qwest Center for Customers with Disabilities

Telecommunications Relay Service

The Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) is a free service that connects customers who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities, using either standard telephone equipment or telephone equipment that has been designed for individuals with disabilities.

Making a call is as simple as dialing “711” or the toll-free TRS number listed in your telephone directory. A trained communications specialist will answer your call and relay the telephone conversation between you and the party you are calling. All call information and conversations are strictly confidential. Relay service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For your convenience, long-distance calls can be billed collect, to a pre-paid calling card, to a carrier calling card or to a third party. For more information, contact a Qwest disabilities consultant at 1 800-223-3131.

To locate TRS providers in your area, refer to the FCC's Telecommunication Relay Service Directory at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/trsphonebk.html.

There are several types of TRS calls.

• Captioned Telephone: Requires a specially designed telephone that allows a person with hearing loss to receive word-for-word captions of the conversation while simultaneously listening to the voice of the other party.
• Hearing-Carry-Over (HCO): Provides individuals with very limited or no speech capability with a device to type the conversation. Then, a communications specialist reads the text to the listener. The HCO user hears the other party’s response.
• Spanish Relay: This service is tailored for use by Spanish-speaking hearing- or speech-disabled users.
• Speech-to-Speech (STS): Allows users with speech difficulties to converse with one another, with a specially trained communications specialist acting as the intermediary.
• Text Telephone (TTY): Also called Teletypewriter, TTY is a specially designed typewriter-like device that allows users to carry on telephone conversations in the form of text conversations with the communications specialist.
• Voice-Carry-Over (VCO): Enables people who have difficulty hearing on the phone to speak directly to the hearing person. The communications specialist then types the hearing person’s response to the VCO user. VCO requires a specially designed telephone.
• Video Relay Service (VRS): An alternative to traditional TTY relay service. This service provides American Sign Language users with an opportunity to communicate via videoconferencing using their native language. Visit the Sprint VRS web site for details regarding equipment requirements, access and use of VRS.

For more information about the services listed above, contact a Qwest disabilities consultant at 1 800-223-3131.