Telephone service interprets calls for hearing impaired people if severely hearing impaired or speech impaired people would call, call in the Tess to relay services. The nationwide telephone network service interprets conversations between hearing and hearing-impaired people. The talks are simultaneous from German sign language or language translated into German spoken language and vice versa. The Tess relay services are the only nationwide provider in this field. Currently, over 600 deaf, deaf and severely hearing impaired people with Tess calls. The number of customers is growing steadily. Mrs.

S. is deaf from birth. She knows the world only without sound. No birdsong, music or children’s laughter. By their deafness, Mrs S. has not learned speaking and does not understand many words, even if they are written. Mrs S. used the German sign language, with which she can express everything, what she wants.

But communication works only with people who understand this language. A normal Phone call has never led them to arrange an appointment or to order a pizza with a hearing person. But today she on the phone the first time in her life with her grandmother. You sitting in front of your PC and plays in the small Web camera that stands on your desk. She sees an interpreter that you answer with gestures on the screen. The interpreter speaks at the same time into the microphone of your headset, because she on the phone with hearing Grandma Mrs S. but Grandma, is there something now”, translated the interpreter just the gestures of Ms. S. meant she has the phone service of Tess relay services. With Tess, even deaf people have the ability to communicate, namely in German sign language dwelling on the phone “, explains Sabine Broweleit, Managing Director of Tess Relay Services GmbH, the special feature of the mediation service. Before Tess, was not possible”calls for hearing and speech impaired people without outside help, so S. Broweleit next. Millions of deaf people whose hearing is impaired in different ways live in Germany. The number of unreported cases among deaf people is huge. Nearly 300,000 people are so severely hearing impaired that due to her hearing impairment a seat has been awarded to them. Among them, there are about 80,000 from early childhood to deaf people. Therefore, the German society of hearing impaired people – self help and specialist associations, e. V. and the Deutsche Telekom AG launched the joint project of Tess in 2005. With the expertise of the Association of the hearing impaired and the technique of the Telekom both project founder created a unique service that adapts to the specific needs of deaf people: two interpreting translate telephone calls simultaneously by German sign language or writing in German spoken language and vice versa. The test phase of the project took four years and was so successful that Tess in 2009 its control service as Tess Relay Services GmbH could take. The mediation service is available for private use on all weekdays from 8: 00-23:00, and for professional use from Monday to Friday from 08: 00-17:00. Customers can make calls via SIP phone (Internet telephony), Videophone, mobile telephone, write telephone and via the Internet browser. The company receives its public order by the Federal Network Agency and leading providers of public telecommunications. As a basis, the necessary provision of a telephone mediation service gem. 45 serves Telecommunications Act (TKG), to take account of the interests of disabled end-users in the planning and provision of telecommunications services to the public.