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41P-Dealing with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons <br /> <br /> <br />Policy & Procedure Page 2 of 7 <br />PROCEDURES <br /> <br />A. Definitions <br /> <br />1. Auxiliary aids and services: Communication aids that assist people <br />who are deaf or who have hearing loss. They include, for example, <br />hearing aids; cochlear implants; the exchange of written notes; <br />telecommunications devices for the deaf (TDDs), also called text <br />telephones (TTs) or teletype - writers (TTYs); telephone handset <br />amplifiers; assistive listening systems; videotext displays; and other <br />devices as well as hearing assistance dogs. <br /> <br />2. Lip-reading: (also referred to as speech reading): The ability to use <br />information gained from movements of the lips, face, and body to <br />increase understanding. <br /> <br />3. Qualified Interpreter: A person skilled in sign language or oral <br />interpretation and transliteration, has the ability to communicate <br />accurately with a deaf or hard of hearing person and is able to translate <br />information to and from such hard of hearing person. The <br />Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing <br />(MCDHH) is the agency within Massachusetts that determines who is <br />qualified as an interpreter. <br /> <br />4. Sign language: Communication through the use of standardized hand <br />or finger signs or gestures. American Sign Language (ASL) is the form <br />of sign language most often used in the United States. Signs convey <br />concepts or ideas, even though a sign may stand for a separate English <br />word. Signing individual letters by finger spelling can supplement sign <br />language. Just as there are regional variations (dialects) in spoken <br />English, there are regional differences in sign language. <br /> <br />B. Emergency Call Takers and Dispatchers <br /> <br />1. The dispatch center is equipped to receive E9-1-1 calls from TDD and <br />computer modem users. All certified E9-1-1 call takers are trained to <br />communicate with callers using the systems TTY and TDD equipment. <br />Upon receiving an E9-1-1 TTY call, dispatchers shall communicate using <br />TTY communications procedures. <br /> <br />2. Dispatchers should place a high priority on response to emergency calls <br />for service from persons who are deaf or who are hard of hearing. <br /> <br />3. The deaf and hard of hearing shall be provided with direct, equal access <br />to all emergency services provided by this Department. <br /> <br />C. Communicating Encounters with Deaf or Hard of Hearing <br />