Contact: Eric Raff, 360-902-8000, eric.raff@dshs.wa.gov
Contact: Thomas Shapley, 360-902-8007, thomas.shapley@dshs.wa.gov

July 30, 2012
DSHS announces CapTel PSA through Washington Relay

OLYMPIA – Today the Department of Social and Health Services is launching a televised public service announcement campaign in the Seattle-Tacoma, Spokane and Pasco-Yakima regions on the following weeks listed below:

July 30, Aug 6, Aug 26, Sept. 3, Sept 24 and Oct 1.

The CapTel PSA will be broadcasted through the following television networks: King NBC, KSTW CW, KONG IND 16, KCPQ FOX, KOMO ABC 4, KIRO CBS 7, KREM CBS 2, KHQ NBC 6, KXLY ABC 4, KAPP ABC 35, KIMA & KEPR CBS, and KNDO/KNDU NBC 23.

The DSHS Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH) is partnering with Sprint Relay to run a series of televised public service announcements that underline the "CapTel Service" message. CapTel Relay Services is a captioned telephone service that enables a relay operator to use voice-recognition technology to translate spoken messages into text (captions) on a CapTel telephone display screen. A person with hearing loss is able to read the incoming conversation and speak directly to the other caller. Washington Relay CapTel relay operators connect CapTel users and hearing people through CapTel telephones, which can be obtained from ODHH or purchased directly from CapTel, Inc.

"Our message is to promote public awareness about the availability of this service to hard-of-hearing or deaf people who need access to telephone services." said Eric Raff, director of the DSHS Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

CapTel callers use a CapTel phone to process phone calls through the CapTel services to friends, business associates and others and voice their own responses to the callers in return.

Raff said there are approximately 20,000 people with a hearing loss relying on Washington Relay. Together, they make approximately 40,000 relay calls per month.

The announcement features a young girl talking on the phone with her hard-of-hearing grandmother about the announcement of her baby sister who was recently born. The announcer says "If you can’t hear well on the phone, now you can read what your caller says. Washington Relay brings you Captioned Telephone Service. CapTel uses voice recognition technology to show captions of everything your caller says." The young girl’s grandmother concludes the call with her granddaughter by saying "Congratulations, big sister! I can’t wait to see you and the new baby!" The announcer then concludes the Paid Service Announcement (PSA) by saying to learn more about this free service and CapTel phones go to CapTelwashington.com. The PSA concludes with a website link and toll-free phone number to find further information about the newer CapTel phones and information that refers them to DSHS-ODHH Telecommunication Equipment Distribution Program.

To learn more go to www.captelwashington.com.

# # #