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Information on relayed calls

What is the relay service?
Tailor-made services
Who can use the relay service?
What sort of telephone calls can I make?
Important points to remember
Open an account

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What is the relay service?

This relay service is an Australia-wide telephone access service available to everyone at no additional charge. If you are Deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment and/or you use a TTY or a computer with a modem, you can access anyone in the wider telephone network through the relay.

When you call a Relay Officer (RO) will assist with your call. You can type and read your conversation entirely via a TTY or a computer with a modem. In some cases, the RO will become "your voice" and read out loud your conversation to the other person. The RO will listen to the response and type it back for you to read.

Specially trained ROs professionally relay conversations between the two parties. Conversations can be relayed in a variety of ways: from text to voice, voice to text, or even use your own voice to converse and read back the return conversation on the screen (this is called VCO or Voice Carry Over). Strict confidentiality of all calls is guaranteed.

As well as the regular voice, TTY and modem options, consumers can choose voice carry over (VCO), hearing carry over (HCO), speech to speech relay (SSR) and voice carry over to voice carry over (VCO to VCO) enables VCO callers to contact another VCO user.

Perhaps the most significant change to the services offered as part of the relay service was the introduction of a world first text based emergency call service using the dedicated short dial number 106. This service, launched on 1 December 2000 provides people with a hearing or speech impairment and consumers who are Deaf with a service having the full functionality of the Telstra 000 emergency service yet it is accessible by TTY, modem, VCO and HCO.

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Tailor-made Services

Tailor-made services are offered for people who have a hearing impairment or a speech impairment.

People with a hearing impairment can use a feature called Voice Carry Over or VCO which enables callers to speak directly to the other party. The Relay Officer listens to the conversation, and types the responses which appear on the TTY.

People with a speech impairment can use a feature called Hearing Carry Over or HCO. HCO enables callers who have a speech impairment to listen directly to the other party and respond by typing on the TTY. The Relay Officer reads the conversation out aloud to the other person.

Another option is Speech to Speech Relay or SSR where a person with a speech impairment can use their natural voice or a voice output device and speak directly to the other person. Relay Officers will re-speak parts of the conversation as necessary.

If your life or property is in danger, you can ring Police, Ambulance or Fire on 106 directly through your TTY or computer with modem.

ACE also offers a Reverse Charge Service. If you have an account, you can give your friends, family and business associates the RCC phone number. They can then call you via the Reverse Charge Service.

Did you know that if you travel overseas, you can call home and connect to the relay service? You do not need an account. You do not need a PIN.

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Who can use this relay service?

Anyone can use the service! If you have a speech impairment (eg. because of cerebral palsy, stroke or multiple sclerosis), the service is for you. It is also ideal for you if you have a hearing impairment or you are Deaf.

What sort of telephone calls can I make?

You can make any telephone call you wish to anyone, anytime, anywhere. You will need to open an account if you wish to make overseas and other time-charged calls. Local, STD and free calls can be made without the need to open an account.

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Important points to remember

Communicate directly to the person you are calling - remember it's your call. Speak directly by using "I" and "You".
Have the phone number and area code ready.
You can make as many follow on calls as you like once you are connected.
Where possible, have everything ready before you make your call (for example: the name of the person you need to talk to and the points you need to cover).
Be clear in what you say or type.
Using the relay service is just like making any phone call. All the usual courtesy still applies, including leaving messages on answering machines.
The RO does not explain things for you; it's up to you to communicate directly with the person you are calling.
Be patient. Relayed calls take a little longer so allow extra time.
Don't start your conversation until the connection to the other person has been made. The RO will tell you when this has happened.
When you hear "go ahead" or read "GA" from the RO this means that it is your turn to speak. When you finish, you need to type or say "go ahead" (or "GA").
It is OK to laugh, make jokes and say anything you normally say in a conversation.

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