Question:
What does it mean when you see "vp," "TTY," or "VRS" after a phone number?
For example: (916) 555-1234 /vp
Answer:
If you see a "vp" after a phone number, it means that number is for "video phone" use.
The letters "VRS" stand for "Video Relay Service." A "VRS" provides
video interpreting between Deaf and Hearing people. Either person could
initiate the process by calling the VRS and providing the number of the
person they want to call.
For example suppose a Hearing person wanted to call a Deaf person. The
could call the VRS center and they would call the Deaf person's video
phone and would relay the information back and forth by signing to the
Deaf person and speaking to the Hearing person.
The "tty" indication after a phone number means that there is a TTY in
use at that number. A TTY is a teletypewriter or "teletype." This is an
electronic device (or formerly a machine) that converts keystrokes into
beeps that travel over phone lines. On the other end of the line is
another TTY that converts the beeps into typed output. In the "old days"
you'd need a wheelbarrow to carry a TTY around. As time went on TTY's
became smaller and more electronic. For a while people started calling
them TDDs. The acronym TDD stands for Telecommunication Device for the
Deaf.
OPTIONAL READING:
(No need to read this unless you want to know more.)
You will still see either term TTY or TDD being used in the Deaf World, but I recommend you
stick with TTY because it is more popular within the Deaf. (Or at least it
was before VP became popular.)
If you look hard enough, you might even see the acronym TT
floating around in some government literature. This term stands for
"text telephone." That idea didn't catch on in the
Deaf community. "TT" looks a bit like the sign for "toilet." So we just kept our
familiar "Y" on the end of "TT" and that was that. So, don't use
TT. Stick with the term TTY.
Discussion:
When typing on a TTY do not use punctuation. Well, don't use
"hearing" punctuation--like periods and commas. Instead of a
question mark use the letter Q. Don't worry about capitalizing certain letters or
words. TTYs generally just use all capitals.
If you use a TTY for any substantial length of time in the Deaf
community you get use to seeing and using abbreviations in your typed conversations.
For example, "HOW R U Q" would mean "How are you?" This is now very common in the Hearing
World, but we Deaf used to do it many years before hearing people got into the act.
Type "GA" when you want the other person to know it is her
turn to type. GA means "go ahead" as in "go ahead, it's your turn to
type."
Type "GA to SK" when you are pretty much ready to end the
conversation.
"SK means "stop keying."
For example if I were having a conversation on a TTY and I typed GA
it would
mean it is your turn to talk. If I typed "GA to SK" it would mean "I'm
ready to quit." You would type a few parting remarks and type a single SK. Then
I would type a double "SK SK," indicating I'm all done. Then we would both
hang up.
In a message dated 8/2/2003 2:38:08 AM Central Daylight Time, Scott Mather
writes:
Greetings Doc!
Hey! I just bought a TTY on Ebay. The phone company is going to have a second
line hooked up by Thursday so I can leave it on permanently for messages, etc.
It's a good one I think. A refurbished Ultratec Superscript ASCII 4420.
Normally around $250 to $300 for a refurb, I got it for $76. (Ha!)
Hope this one works. Another one I got off Ebay shorted out the first time I
tried to use it. :(
You think I'd learn.
Except........this one I just bought? The guy lives in Portland. I'm going to
go pick it up. This means accountability!!! He has more, too, so if this one
goes south, it's replacement time...
Scott
wsmather@_______.net
Hi Scott,
That is neat about you buying a TTY. I hope you have better luck with this one
than your previous one.
My wife and I hardly use our TTYs any more.
People just email or instant message me.
When she needs to make a call she just uses one of the online internet TTY
services.
Are you familiar with online relay?
Check out:
http://www.ip-relay.com/index.htm
Bill