Australian Employers Network on Disability

TTY/Voice 133 677
Speak & Listen 1300 555 727
www.relayservice.com.au

The National Relay Service (NRS) is a phone solution for people who are Deaf or who have a hearing and/or speech impairment.

The NRS offers solutions for people who:

- Speak but cannot hear (Speak & Read)

- Hear but do not speak (Type & Listen)

- Cannot hear and do not speak (Type & Read)

- Have difficulty making themselves understood on the phone (Speak & Listen)

Calls can be made from a TTY (a special phone with a small keyboard and screen) or from an ordinary telephone.  Calls made through the NRS are ‘relayed’ through a relay officer, who acts as a kind of interpreter during the call.  NRS calls can be initiated by a caller who cannot speak and/or hear, or by a hearing person wanting to contact a person who cannot speak and/or hear.

RECEIVING CALLS:

When receiving a call through the NRS, you will first hear a message from the relay officer, explaining that the call is being relayed through the National Relay Service.

The relay officer will then ‘translate’ the call – the relay officer will become ‘the voice’ of the person who cannot speak and/or hear.

The person who cannot speak and/or hear can type and read the conversation entirely via a TTY.

MAKING CALLS:

To call someone who cannot hear and/or speak:

Phone the NRS on 133 677

An automated system will be ask you to dial the area code and number of the TTY (this will be the number provided to you by the person), and your call will be transferred to a relay officer.

The relay officer will tell you when the call is connected, then you can simply begin your conversation.  The relay officer will relay your words to the other person. 

Depending on whether the person has a hearing impairment and/or a speech impairment, the relay officer will relay their text into speech, or your speech into text, or both.

TIPS FOR RELAY CALLS:

• Speak slowly
• Pause at the end of each phrase or sentence
• Repeat and spell difficult words, names, addresses and phone numbers
• Cover one topic at a time
• Speak no more than two to three minutes each turn
• Always say "go ahead" after each response
• Always end your call with "goodbye, signing off" or something similar
• Use "I"and "you" rather than "tell her". People like to be spoken to directly even though there is a relay officer involved.
• Don't speak directly to the relay officer, unless you are having technical problems.

FURTHER INFORMATION

www.relayservice.com.au

The NRS has a Helpdesk to assist people in using the relay service.

Phone  1800 555 660
TTY  1800 555 630
Fax  1800 555 690
SMS  0416 001 350
Email   This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Mail  88 Darling St, East Balmain, NSW 2041