keyboard, an electronic display, and an attached roll of print-out tape. Users place
standard telephone headsets into cradles on the machine and type messages to
receiving parties. The message is transmitted to a TTY on the other end, which also has
a real-time electronic display, and may also generate a printed copy of the conversation.
The other party sees the message on their own screen (and on a print-out) and types
back. Using a TTY is similar to using chat technology over the internet.
Communicating via a TTY can, unfortunately, be time-consuming (depending upon the
typing skills of interlocutors). However, one benefit for lawyers is that exact records of
conversations, including instructions, are created by the resultant print-outs.
Some clients, whose first language is sign language, may find it difficult to communicate
problems, concepts, and even basic questions through a TTY. In such circumstances, it
is preferable to meet in person in the presence of a qualified interpreter.
Bell Canada offers a service known as the Bell Relay Service, in which an operator will
relay messages between people using regular telephones and people using TTY
machines. For lawyers who have not yet purchased TTY machines, this is a useful
service.