10/01/01 - TRS Available Nationwide Today!
                2002 Blue Book to have IM Listings
                Listing Deadline Extended to 10/19/01

NATIONWIDE 711 TRS ACCESS TODAY

Today is the day that 711 is mandated to be made available nationwide!

Go ahead and try dialing 711 on your next relay call to see if it will reach
the TRS in your state. 711 works regardless of whether you use TTYs or
standard telephones, including VCO, HCO, STS and Spanish Relay.

Although every effort has been made to alert administrators of pay phones,
cellular phones and office phone systems, certain types of phone systems may
need reprogramming to recognize 711 as a valid number and direct it to your
state TRS center. If you are unable to reach your state TRS from your
phone, below is an announcement from the FCC that includes instructions on
how to file a complaint.

OCTOBER 1 BEGINS NEW ERA OF TELEPHONE ACCESS
711 Will Permit Easy Nationwide Access to Relay Services

On October 1 of this year our country begins a new era of telephone access.
That is the day that the familiar calling shortcuts of 911 and 411 will be
joined by 711 - the new three digit number for access to all
Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS).

It's fast, functional and free.

TRS facilitates telephone conversations between people who do and those who
do not have hearing or speech disabilities. In one type of TRS, a text
telephone (TTY) user calls a voice telephone user through a TRS provider (or
relay center), where a communications assistant places the call to the voice
user, and then relays the conversation by transcribing spoken content for
the TTY user and reading text aloud for the voice user.

711 is good news for everyone, not just persons with disabilities. Both
voice and TRS users will be able to initiate a call from any telephone,
anywhere in the United States, without having to remember and dial a seven
or ten-digit access number. There are currently over 100 separate numbers
nationwide for accessing relay services. Being able to dial the same three
digits nationwide to access TRS, instead of having to be familiar with each
state's unique access number, makes TRS much more accessible in our mobile
society.

Under the new rules adopted last year by the FCC, 711 TRS dialing must be
provided by all telecommunications carriers in the United States, including
wireline, wireless, and payphone providers. The FCC rule also encourages all
PBX suppliers to configure their systems for 711 access to TRS.

In addition, to ensure the efficient, effective, and successful use of 711
access to TRS, the FCC required carriers and relay providers, in cooperation
with the states, to engage in on-going and comprehensive education and
outreach programs to publicize the availability of 711 access.

If consumers find that they are unable to get 711 TRS access after October
1, they should contact the FCC's Consumer Center at 1-888-CALL-FCC (voice)
or 1-888-TELL-FCC (TTY), or by e-mail at access@fcc.gov.

For more information on TRS visit: www.fcc.gov/cib/consumerfacts/trs.html

To obtain this document online visit:
www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/News_Releases/2001/nrcc0138.html

- FCC -

2002 BLUE BOOK TO INCLUDE IM LISTINGS

The 2002 Blue Book will offer you another method to help stay in touch with
your friends and coworkers. The latest addition to the Blue Book National
Directory is the IM listing. If you want to include IM along with your
e-mail and web address, please send the following to jimhouse@tdi-online.org
no later than October 19, 2001.

Name
IM Service (AIM, AOL, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo, etc.)=IM name

Example:

Jim House
AOL=haus7hill

2002 BLUE BOOK LISTING DEADLINE EXTENEDED TO 10/19/01

The deadline for updating your listing for the 2002 Blue Book has been
extended to October 19, 2001. If you have recently moved or made any
changes in your telephone numbers, e-mail addresses - please send an e-mail
to the above e-mail address and update your listing. If you have recently
sent an e-mail, a renewal form or a Quality Assurance Form to TDI with the
correct contact information, thank you!

Sincerely,

Jim House, Director
TDI Member Services & Public Relations
8630 Fenton St., #604
Silver Spring, MD 20910
jimhouse@tdi-online.org
TTY 301-589-3006
Voice 301-589-3786
FAX 301-589-3797
AOL IM haus7hill
For more info: www.tdi-online.org

      "Promoting Equal Access to Telecommunications and Media for People
        Who are Deaf, Late-Deafened, Hard-of-Hearing or Deaf-Blind"