Caller ID is a service that allows the person receiving the call to see the number and/or name of the person placing the call. It allows for screening of calls. It requires that the user subscribe to Caller ID service from their local telephone company, and also install a Caller ID display device.
These devices connect between the telephone line and the telephone. Between the first and second ring, the telephone company switch sends a burst of data to the display device that carries the caller’s information. The device then displays it.
Some TTY users use Caller ID to discriminate between voice calls and TTY calls from known numbers.
“I always look at the screen. I do not answer calls unless I know the numbers. If it’s one I don’t know I call them back through relay.”
There are three varieties of Caller ID. Not all are available from every local telephone company, and all require compatible display devices:
Numeric. Only the caller’s telephone number is displayed.
Name and number. Both the number and the name of the caller are displayed (the name is the name under which that telephone number is subscribed).
Caller ID on Call Waiting. This added feature displays the name and number of a new caller when another call is already in progress. This has a particular benefit to people who are deaf or hard of hearing, because they might not otherwise detect the call waiting tone. In some areas the telephone company allows users to decide what to do with the second incoming call: send it to voice mail, answer it while putting the other call on hold, or add the new caller to the existing call as a three-way call.
Caller ID displays vary as to the size and legibility of the display. Here are some available features:
1193.41(c) Operable with little or no color perception
1193.41(d) Operable without hearing
1193.41(g) Operable without time-dependent controls
1193.41(h) Operable without speech
1193.43(f) Prevention of visually-induced seizures
1193.43(h) Non-interference with hearing technologies
People who are blind or visually impaired commented on their lack of access to Caller ID.
“I ask my wife if it’s a number she recognizes
because I can’t read it.”
“I got one with a big LCD but then found out
that most of the LCD is taken up with other info, so the letters aren’t bigger
at all.”
In addition to visual displays, there are some Caller ID devices that speak the caller’s number. This eliminates the need to go to the visual display to retrieve the information, and is more usable by people who are blind or visually impaired. It may also be an advantage for some people with learning disabilities.
These devices have special handling for “VIP” numbers. When someone calls from a pre-stored number, any message that the user (not the caller) has pre-stored for that number is announced. For example, if the user’s mother’s number is 555-1234 and the user has recorded the message “It’s Mom” for that number, any time anyone calls from 555-1234 the message “It’s Mom” will be spoken aloud. Non-VIP numbers are announced digit by digit. Consumers commented on their talking Caller ID devices both positively and negatively.
“I can understand the numbers and it’s loud enough from anywhere in the apartment, so I feel it meets my needs very well.”
“I had to spend a lot more for this box than a
sighted person, and it only announces the names of 30 people and only if I store
them myself.”
Information about an incoming call is available in some areas as a network-based service. When the phone rings, the user can pick it up. The caller still hears it ringing, while the caller’s number (and possibly name) are announced over the telephone line. The user can then decide whether to answer the call or send it to voice mail, etc., by pressing a touch tone key. This service works from any telephone in the household.
There is at least one Caller ID device that flashes the same LED green in one condition (new incoming call) and red in another (message waiting). This information may not be available to individuals with color perception impairments.