Text Relay (Type Talk)

Text Relay (previously known as Type Talk) is a service run by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID). It is a telephone relay service which enables hearing and speech impaired people to communicate with hearing people by telephone.

It lets deaf and hard of hearing people use a textphone to access any services that are available on standard telephone systems.

Text Relay provides a link between any textphone user and a hearing person. The link is a highly trained Text Relay operator who provides a discreet and confidential service. If you are deaf, all you need is a textphone, which is a specially adapted telephone with a keyboard

If you are deaf and are calling a hearing person

If you are deaf you should dial 18001 followed by the full telephone number from your textphone. If the call is answered by a hearing person, a Text Relay operator is brought into the call. However, if the call is answered by another textphone user, the connection is direct with no need to involve an operator.

If you are hearing

If you are hearing dial 18002 followed by the full telephone number to make a call to a textphone

During the call

Once connected, the textphone user types a message from their keyboard and the operator reads it word for word to the hearing person. The hearing person then verbally responds, and the Text Relay operator types exactly what is said so that the deaf person can read the conversation on their textphone display panel.

All calls are confidential and the service operates around the clock, so you can make calls at any time, day or night and calls are charged at standard telephone rates (depending on the service provider).