World Around You--May/June 1997--Legislation. Gallaudet University

M A Y / J U N E - 1 9 9 7

Coming Soon
711 for TTY Relay
Soon people throughout the United States will have the same three-digit TTY relay service number: 711.
"It will be so much easier," said Claude Stout, Executive Director of the Telecommunicators of the Deaf Inc. (TDI). "It reduces time. It is standardized throughout the country. This is a tremendous accomplishment for deaf consumer groups--such as the National Association of the Deaf and TDI."
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the new number in February. In addition, the FCC said that 611 and 811 could be used by telephone companies to provide instant access to telephone repair services.
The nationwide emergency number, 911, will stay TTY accessible, according to Stout. "Relay services ask that 911 be used in emergencies," he noted. "It is imperative that 911 centers get training to provide service to deaf and hard of hearing people who call on TTY."
TDI publishes a National Directory of TTY Numbers. Distributed throughout the U.S. and Canada, the Director has over 55,000 listings. For more information, contact: TDI, 8630 Fenton St. Suite 604, Silver Spring, Md. 20910.

Connecticut's Deaf People Kill
Discriminatory Bill
When Rep. Paul Tymniak, a Connecticut lawmaker, proposed to ban deaf people from juries, they reacted right away.
"We were furious," said Cassandra Boryslawskyj, recording secretary of the Connecticut Association of the Deaf, and founder of the "Time To Be Heard" Committee.
The result was a flurry of letters--and a little late education for legislator Tymniak.
"A judge in the superior court mentioned that deaf individuals were being called in for jury duty and then sent home," said Tymniak, explained later. By excluding deaf persons in the first place, Tymniak figured he'd save Connecticut taxpayers money.
His bill stated that "a person shall be disqualified to serve as a juror if such a person is deaf or hearing impaired." The reason: "...jurors must be able to determine the credibility of witnesses based upon... voice inflections and tones which may not be accurately conveyed by the interpreter." The reaction of deaf people was quick, strong, and upset. Tymniak ended up withdrawing the bill.
"In 25 years of practicing law, I never had anyone call and say that they wanted to be on a jury," said Tymniak, who felt the flak was more of a "perception problem" than a threat to the rights of deaf people. "You have to watch like a hawk," said Boryslawskyj, who noted that this is the second time in 10 years that Connecticut's lawmakers have tried to limit the right of deaf people to serve on juries.

General comments may be sent to: ISCS.ClercCenter@gallaudet.edu