TTY Services
The Kingston Hospital has TTY Services, also known as a TDD (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf) which allows hearing-impaired patients or their families or those people with speech impediments to relay messages to staff, physicians or other patients.
More than four million people use the TTY system nationwide. Three million of these users are hearing impaired and another one million have severe speech impediments.
HOW IT WORKS : The TTY consists of a keyboard, which hold somewhere from 20 to 30 character keys, a display screen, and a modem. The device "rings" with a flashing light. The letters that the TTY user types into the machine are turned into electrical signals that can travel over regular telephone lines. When the signals reach their destination (in this case another TTY) they are converted back into letters which appear on a display screen, are printed out on paper or both.
LANGUAGE LINE
The Kingston Hospital also utilizes the services of AT&T's Language Line, which provides interpreting services to those who have little or no command of the English language. On average, it takes Language Line less than a half of a minute to provide an interpreter for a three-way conference call, helping patients inform staff and physicians of their medical conditions. Language line provides interpreters of more than 120 languages. No special equipment is required – mobile phones, desk or speaker phones can all be connected into a three-way conference call.