112 Accessibility for People with a Variety of Disabilities.

1. 112 Accessibility for People with a Variety of Disabilities. Send help, and hurry! Stuart Goldman sgoldman@alcatel-lucent.com June 6, 2007

2. The promise • Unique position last seen two decades ago and not to be seen again for another two decades. • In the ‘80s telecommunication migrated to Signalling Seven 7 architecture. • Created new subscriber features based on the ability to signal additional call related information • A similar, revolutionary opportunity exists for just a little while today as we leap from Time Division Multiplexing networks into the brave new world of IP networks.. • As we consider the needs of all of our citizens to be able to effectively summons help in time of need, our minds immediately leap to the mainstay communication of using the telephone to place 112 calls for help. In the new IP world we have a unique opportunity today to explore and then meet the communication needs of all of our citizens. People with a variety of handicaps need to be able to place 112 calls.

3. 1 Going Around

4. Going Around In the beginning of telephony, the local operator often had a relationship with and knew who was calling Then the dial was invented Then the evolution the PSAP centers Along with efficiency, relations changed. For those callers who are able to communicate effectively this works, but what about the segment of our populations who has some form of disability which can impair communication during time of great stress to an unknown PSAP call taker often far removed from the caller? Need to be able to communicate with call taker

5. Going Around The same technology advances that lead to the evolution of the citizen to authority communication architecture now widely deployed has been used to overcome some of the difficulties introduced • Caller ID assists in PSAP call back • Location determination of wireline, wireless and IP based calls is addressed in other presentations We can now use the opportunity of the technology capabilities to address the unique communication needs for those citizens with disabilities The earlier we are able to address the needs and incorporate the technology, the more economical it becomes. Can we afford to not explore opportunities to include all citizens?

6. What is a TTY? 0 • TTY stands for Text Telephone. It is also sometimes called a TDD, or Telecommunication Device for the Deaf. TTY is the more widely accepted term, however, as TTYs are used by many people, not just people who are deaf. • A TTY is a special device that lets people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-impaired use the telephone to communicate, by allowing them to type messages back and forth to one another instead of talking and listening. A TTY is required at both ends of the conversation in order to communicate. • To use a TTY, you set a telephone handset onto special acoustic cups built into the TTY (some TTY models can be plugged directly into a telephone line). Then, type the message you want to send on the TTY's keyboard. As you type, the message is sent over the phone line, just like your voice would be sent over the phone line if you talked. You can read the other person's response on the TTY's text display. • If you don't have a TTY, you can still call a person who is deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-impaired by using the Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS). With TRS, a special operator types whatever you say so that the person you are calling can read your words on his or her TTY display. He or she will type back a response, which the TRS operator will read aloud for you to hear over the phone. Toll free TRS services are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

7. TTYs 0 • Deaf community self-help led to a TTY network • At first limited to within the deaf community • mid-70s TTY became electronic • mid-80s TTY modems • late 80s Portable TTY • Many people in the general populationbelieve that TTY is no longer needed as we now have e-mail, Instant Messaging, etc. • TTY STILL NEEDED BECAUSE: • TTY parity with degraded voice lines that can not support Internet Dial up. • Mobile voice channel quality not sufficient to support PC but can support TTY • Not everybody has a PC or can use one. TTY replacement with a PC is not an automatic given migration step. • Character by character importance: example of Morse code senders being recognized by the way they key.

8. What is Telecommunications Relay Service? 0 • Telecommunications Relay Service provides full telephone accessibility to people who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, or speech-disabled. Specially trained Communication Assistants (CAs) serve as intermediaries, relaying conversations between hearing persons and persons using a text telephone device (TTY). Relay Service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with no restrictions on the length or number of calls placed. This valuable communications tool gives all individuals the opportunity to make personal and business calls just like any other telephone user. • The relay service makes it possible for teachers in postsecondary settings to notify deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, or speech-disabled students of any class changes or cancellations. These students can also use the service to contact instructors when necessary. • What equipment is required for deaf people?The most common device used to make a relay call is a TTY that can be used together with a phone handset. However, the equipment you need may vary depending upon the type of relay service you use. For more information on how to obtain a device in your area for your specific needs, call your state relay service. In some cases, the equipment may be available at little or no cost to you. • What equipment is required for hearing people? You only need a telephone. Each state provides a toll-free number to reach a Communication Assistant. The number is listed in local phone books. • How much do you pay? There is no charge for using a relay service within your local calling area. Long distance call rates are determined by the carrier of choice. Please notify the Communication Assistant of your preferred billing option: direct; collect; third party; local exchange carrier (LEC) calling card; other long distance calling card; or prepaid phone card.

9. Relay Services 0 • Began as volunteer services in the 70s • States began to provide within-state services in the 80s • 1990 ADA Title IV • Many people in the general population believe that Relay Service is no longer needed as we now have e-mail, Instant Messaging, etc. • Like TTY, TRS is still needed for much the same reasons

10. NGN CHALLAGES • Need to identify what accommodations are needed in multi-media voice, video, data applications • 9-1-1 problems with VoIP exasperated with TTY • VoIP transmission quality can affect TTY • Transparency not promised, and learning new ways can be difficult and unsettling • Cost is often an issue • need for Standards • Need to “encourage” implementation and deployment • We have the opportunity to build in accommodations now! • The industry is open to inclusion of technology to accommodate people with disabilities, but: • Just saying it is not good enough • We need specifics as to exactly what is needed. • Need to balance against a business model. • The most bang for the buck • Extend to largest population • Create application for general public

11. 2 Requirements

12. One caller’s experience Verbatim: … >I had difficult with 9-1-1 emergency system before >Arizona came up with the 7-1-1 I am a cancer survivor who is hearing >impaired during the year of 2001, I had one esipode of an emergency >crisis that was not response to immediately I was very ill and needed >help one day if it was not for my next door neigborhood check in on me >at the time she did. I believe I might would had die. >During that time, I did not have anyone to adovacy for me My mother >move from Chicago to Arizona to be with after that crisis situation. Sample case!

13. ITU-T SG 16 effort SG 16 check list http://www.itu.int/pub/T-TUT-FSTP-2006-TACL/en Implementation of accessibility for people with disabilities influences a large number of items in the ITU-T standardization work programme. This Telecommunications Accessibility Checklist for standardization activities intends to ensure that the specified services and features are usable by as many as possible including people with disabilities. This checklist should be applied to every work item before the work commences, during the work and at the completion of the work. The use of the checklist should be complemented by involving accessibility experts and users in the process. Check it off!

14. ITU-T SG 16 check list http://www.itu.int/pub/T-TUT-FSTP-2006-TACL/en • The checklist is structured in the following topics: • Control of devices through a user interface • Control of services • Media transport • Media entry by the user • Media presentation to the user • Invocation of media translating services • User profile management • User profile usage Variety, flexibility, adaptability

15. 3 One example of thinking out of the box

16. Automatic assistive bridge on 1-1-2 emergency call originations Daddy! What is your emergency? This is one of our group home residents. Something must have happened to the staff. I am on the way to take care of the residents. Please send an ambulance. The person has diabetes and may be in insulin shock. Timmy, everything will be OK.

17. Automatic assistive bridge on 1-1-2 emergency call originations The capability of the public to place calls requesting emergency help is well known and well used each day. Within the US, 9-1-1 is dialed. In other countries other codes are used such as 112 in much of Europe. Such calls can be placed on a variety of access technologies such as wireline, wireless, VoIP, etc. The location of the caller is automatically determined and is used for both determining which PSAP to use as well as for displaying the caller’s location on the call talker’s computer screen. These calls are routed to the closest Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) where a call taker can converse with the caller to determine the nature of the emergency and the help needed. However when the caller is not able to communicate readily with the call taker it is harder to know what emergency response should be dispatched to the emergency. Delays in dispatching the correct help can be fatal. In recognition of this problem, many PSAPs have bi-lingual or multi-lingual staff. Additionally many PSAPs have the ability to communicate with people with a hearing or speech disability using Telephony Teletype (TTY) equipment. Still, there are cases where the caller is not able to effectively communicate with the call taker. An obviously example is where the caller’s only language is not understood at the call center. A less obvious case is that of group homes where the occupants may have mental or other impairments such that they are able to recognize an emergency situation and activate 1-1-2 but are not able to convey the nature of the emergency Additionally, there are cases where a third party should be notified that an emergency call had been originated. The group home situation is again an example where notifying a responsible third party of the problem can be beneficial to all. Such notification may be useful for marginally capable people living semi-independently but rely on a trusted third party for assistance. For people speaking a language not common in the country, the third party may be their embassy. Embassies may encourage their nationals to use the service and list the embassy number as the third party. The bridge makes it better

18. Automatic assistive bridge on 1-1-2 emergency call originations When a caller with this feature places an emergency call, a conference path is assigned and the call is routed to the PSAP as normally done. However, in parallel a call is placed to the pre-designated number or address of the third party and when that call is answered a short announcement is played to the third party explaining the situation and then the third party is bridged into the conversation. The third party can then assist in the communication to ensure that the appropriate response is sent by the PSAP and any needed follow up by the third party will occur. The emergency call set up to the PSAP is NOT delayed nor is it dependant on the third party joining. The concept is that the emergency call must reach the PSAP immediately and the third party can join into the conversation already under way when ever the third party answers. If the third party does not answer, the emergency call proceeds without the third party’s assistance. The third party would still be notified after the incident. The bridge is better

19. Automatic assistive bridge on 1-1-2 emergency call originations This scheme can be provided for any access technology including wireline, wireless, VoIP, packet, etc. A person can subscribe to this service. The service can be provided by the serving access node, the PSAP, or a third party node in the network. The service allows the caller to create a database entry for the calling number with a number or access address for one or more third parties that the caller wishes bridged and or notified when a 1-1-2 call is initiated. This description applies when the service is provided by the serving access node. A similar description would address the case where the service is provided by the PSAP or a third party node. When a caller with this feature places an emergency call, the serving node assigns a conference path and the call is routed to the PSAP as normally done. However, in parallel a call is placed by the originating node to the pre-designated number or address of the third party and when that call is answered a short announcement is played to the third party explaining the situation, instructing the third party to enter a 1 signaling willingness to be bridged (and ensuring that it is a human rather than an answering machine), and then the third party is bridged into the conversation. If the third party is busy or does not answer, the serving node will continue to periodically attempt the call until successful or a timer has expired. Obviously no bridging will be attempted once the initial call has completed and this is only for notification of the third party. (There may be multiple third parties designated which should be contacted in series or in parallel.) The third party can then assist in the communication to ensure that the appropriate response is sent by the PSAP and any needed follow up by the third party will occur. Note: With this approach the conversation is not disrupted with ringing or busy signal as the third party is only connected after answer, hearing the announcement, and accepting. Since the bridge is established prior to connection to the PSAP, there is no negative interaction with the PSAP control on the call path, or recall. Since the bridge is established at the node providing the service nonew signaling protocol is needed The existing signaling is sufficient to inform the node when the third party answers or is busy. The bridge is better

20. 4 Proposal

21. Proposal • Apply the check list for the minimum that must be done • Innovative thought about what could be done • Make it happen • Make it happen early We can make it happen if we try!