Dual Party Relay Service for the Hearing-Impaired Customers

Dual Party Relay (DPR) service enables a telephone communication to take place between a hearing or speech-impaired person using a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD), and a hearing person using a regular telephone. Communication Attendants (CAs) serve as translators between the two -- using TDDs to communicate with TDD users and telephones to communicate with the hearing persons. Similar services have been available in the United States and other countries. However, most of these services are run by volunteers and are not available around the clock. AT&T has been contracted to provide the service to three states in the United States, 24 hours a day and seven days a week.