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From: Jack.O'keeffe@f26.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Jack O'keeffe)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: TDD bulletin boards?
Message-ID: <15048@bunker.UUCP>
Date: 18 Oct 90 03:42:49 GMT
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Index Number: 11178

[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]

To: rbarth@tumtum.cs.umd.edu (Dick Barth)

 DB>  There's a strong emotional pull toward continued use
 DB>  of the things for some people. I agree completely that if
 DB>  every TDD were replaced tomorrow by a computer, the world
 DB>  would be better off. But it's not going to happen tomorrow,
 DB>  nor any time soon, I suspect.

Dick, as a reformed ex-user of an ASR33 TTY I agree with what you
say.  But I never formed an emotional attachment to the TTY or to
the TDD.  I think there is a new force in operation that will make
the Baudot TDD disappear somewhat sooner than you anticipate. That
is the advent of more statewide relays, and the ADA mandate for a
nationwide relay by July 26, 1993.

Our Pennsylvania relay, operated by AT&T, went online just last
month.  With it, only the non-hearing person needs a TDD display.
And anyone who is oral can use the VCO feature and avoid all that
keying.  This means that there will be a shrinking market for the
traditional TDD, and possibly a developing market for a display
only TDD (sans keyboard).

With a smaller market, the price of TDDs will escalate while the
price of low-end PCs will continue to decline.  As you say, there
are a lot of TDDs out there.  But with the relays, you don't need
one to call a deaf person.  And those old 33TTYs managed to fade
away pretty quickly once something better came along.

... Jack.

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