Accessibility

Relay Iowa

Relay Iowa  is a specialized service that guarantees all citizens access to prompt, professional and accurate communication through the telephone. Consumers of these specialized services, specifically individuals who are deaf, deaf-blind, hard of hearing or have difficulty speaking, can communicate on the telephone via TTY, Voice Carry Over (VCO) Hearing Carry Over (HCO), Speech-to-Speech (STS), Spanish and Captioned Telephone.  This helps to ensure that they are able to connect with family, friends or businesses with ease.

How does relay work?
Dial 7-1-1 or the toll-free number listed below to connect with Relay Iowa. A specially trained operator, called a Communication Assistant (CA) will ask for the area code and the number of the person you wish to call and will begin relaying the conversation.  Generally, the CA will voice the typed message from the text telephone (TTY) user to the person on the other end. The CA then relays the spoken words by typing them back to the TTY user. All calls are held strictly confidential.

Specialized Services
Relay Iowa offers specialized services for individuals who have difficulty speaking and for Spanish-speaking residents. Specially trained CAs are on hand to assist with these types of calls and may be reached by dialing the associated number provided on this page.  Since Relay Iowa offers a variety of services, please refer to the website listed or call Relay Iowa Customer Care for more detailed instruction on how a particular call is processed.

Captioned Telephone is also available and ideal for individuals with hearing loss that can speak for themselves. A captioned telephone works like any other telephone except for one important addition: it displays every word the other person says throughout the conversation. Captioned Telephone users can listen to the caller and read the captions on the display window of the captioned telephone.

Access to Services
Both 711 and the 800 numbers are toll-free calls and provide access to the same relay services. If you are experiencing trouble dialing 711 in an attempt to reach Rely Iowa, please call Relay Iowa Customer Care.

All TRS and English Captioned Telephone Services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  Spanish Captioned Telephone is available daily from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. CST.  Consumers may place relay calls to English-speaking and Spanish-speaking people within Iowa, across the United States and even internationally  By law, each conversation is handled with strict confidentiality.

Relay Iowa and the Iowa Equipment Distribution Program are both programs of the Iowa Utilities Board.

To place a call using Relay Iowa, Dial 7-1-1
OR one of the toll-free numbers below:

TTY/ASCII: 800-735-2942
Voice: 800-735-2943
Spanish: 800-264-7190
Voice Carry Over: 800-735-4313
Speech to Speech: 877-735-1007
Virtually Assisted Speech-to-Speech: 800-855-8440

Customer Care Information:
888-516-4692 English Voice/TTY
866-744-7471 Spanish Voice/TTY
1006 12th Street
Aurora, NE 68818

IARelay@HamiltonRelay.com

Relay Iowa Website

Captioned Telephone

Customer Service: 888-269-7477
To call a Captioned Telephone user, dial
877-243-2823 English
866-27-3362 Spanish

Emergency Calls

Please note that 711 can only be used to reach Relay Iowa. In an EMERGENCY you should continue to use 911. For emergencies, call 911 or your local emergency service TTY number directly. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that all 911 centers have a TTY and be prepared to handle emergency calls placed in this manner. Relya Iowa will make every effort to assist you during an emergency. However, it is important to understand that relay centers are not 911 centers and do not assume responsibility for emergency calls.

Telecommunications Access Iowa

Iowa Equipment Distribution Program, called Telecommunications Access Iowa (TAI), helps pay for specialized equipment for residents of Iowa who are deaf, deaf-blind, hard of hearing or have difficulty speaking. Qualified individuals can receive a voucher for approximately 95% of the average cost of specialized telephone equipment.  To apply online, go to: www.teleiowa.com or call 800-606-5099 (Voice/TTY).

(Learn more)

Specialized Telephone Equipment

Approved Equipment Categories include, Amplified Phone, Captioned Telephone, Voice-Activated Speakerphone With Adaptive Features, Speech Amplified Phone, Hearing Carry Over (HCO) Phone, Text Telephone (TTY), Voice Carry Over (VCO) Phone, Electrolarynx Telephone, Speech Therapy Device, Phone Ringer/Signaler, and Amplified Answering Machine.

How do I apply for specialized equipment?

The Iowa Equipment distribution Program called Telecommunication Access Iowa (TAI) helps pay for specialized equipment for Iowa residents who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired. Qualified individuals can receive a voucher for approximately 95% of the average cost of specialized telephone equipment. To apply online, go to www.teleiowa.com or call 1-800-606-5099 (Voice/TTY).

iowaCan Connect

The National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program (website)

Connect is a program that provides communications technology free of charge to low-income of all ages who have combined vision and hearing loss. It provides a wide range of hardware, software and applications to suit the varying communications technology needs of persons who qualify. Examples include products that are available to the general public and may be accessible to people with hearing and vision loss or products that are adaptable through the use of specialized equipment, such as screen enlargement software, screen readers or Braille displays.

If you, or someone you know, has combined vision and hearing loss and cannot afford communications technology that enables you to use a telephone, send an email, access the Internet, or use other communications technology, you might be eligible for this program.

A qualified program specialist can help you identify equipment that will meet your needs. program specialists are also available to train you to use the equipment.

To see if you qualify for this program, you may visit: www.iCanConnect.org/iowa

For more information, visit: www.fcc.gov/NDBEDP

Titonka Burt Communications
P.O. Box 321
247 Main St. N
Titonka, IA 50480

Office Hours
8:00 a.m. - Noon, 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Phone: 515.928.2110
Toll free: 800.753.2016
Email: Info@TBCtel.com

DMCA - Designated Agent for Copyright Infringement:
General Manager
247 Main St. N
Titonka, IA 50480
Phone: 515-928-2110
Fax: 515-928-2897
Email: Info@TBCtel.com

Titonka Burt Communications
P.O. Box 321
247 Main St. N
Titonka, IA 50480

Office Hours
8:00 a.m. - Noon, 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Phone: 515.928.2110
Toll free: 800.753.2016
Email: Info@TBCtel.com

 

DMCA - Designated Agent for Copyright Infringement:
General Manager
247 Main St. N
Titonka, IA 50480
Phone: 515-928-2110
Fax: 515-928-2897
Email: Info@TBCtel.com

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