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Comment by rmason | Hacker News Reader

I liked the one comment in the article where the guy recommended a public service that gave the deaf a real phone number which just contained a recording informing callers that the person was deaf. That way they could enter a real phone number of forms that insisted on one.

I don't know anyone at Twilio but if they want to perform a public service and gets lots of karma it wouldn't be a bad thing to go do.

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I will give anyone here that wants to do this a boat load of Twilio credit to get started. Email me jsheehan@twilio.com

I think we've got enough people that have emailed me interested that this problem is going to be solved soon.

Here's the first go at the number: (415) 329-5992

It's just using the basic Twilio text to speech, but I'll get a proper recording in there so it's easier to understand shortly. Website should be up in a day or so. Any feedback is appreciated.

If anyone wants to pitch in with some ideas on how to provide a better service or wants to hack together, let me know!

So far, I'm planning to put up numbers for major metro areas, and possibly allow for personal numbers that will either transcribe and email messages to the owner or go some sort of SMS route.

Also, if anyone has a contact at nad.org, please let them know.

DISCLAIMER: this is for good karma only, any ideas for this other than not for profit will be turned down :)

Wow. My hat off to you, sir. :)

Terrific! Kudos to Twilio for being so reponsive. Guys just make certain that both the original blog author and the folks at nad.org know about it to give the pubicity it deserves to their members.

Challenge accepted, email sent.

I also liked the reply (from a Twilion) which implemented it. "This could be also be a Twilio app that could be easily written in less than a minute. Actually, here you go"

http://spottedsun.com/stop-asking-me-for-my-phone-number/#co...

I'm deaf. Not sure about other countries, but here in the US we have free video relay services that have a number attached to your account. Calls go to a video interpreter, who will also take messages for you.

I don't particularly like dealing with calls either, but for the times when I must, my cell number forwards to VRS. Problem solved.

As a hearing person who has communicated with deaf people over relay service, let me tell you it sucks just as much being on the other end of a relay call. It seems to have all the disadvantages of email and phone rolled into one, with just enough added latency over a straight phone call to be annoying.

I wish I had an alternative to suggest, but whether anybody likes it or not, every so often, hearing-impaired people are going to need to communicate with people over the phone, and those of us who can hear need to just suck it up.

While VRS is probably the closest to real-time voice communication, it's similar to speaking through a synchronous translator for another language. I've done synchro work and it's not the best way. No wonder so many political gestures get miscommunicated at conferences!

I'd say SMS and chat are far better (or email), as you are actually communicating with the person directly.

That way they could enter a real phone number of forms that insisted on one.

In my (non-hearing impaired) world, that's what pay phones are for. If your site insists on a phone number, then you get to talk to somebody who has, presumably out of sheer boredom, picked up the phone in front of the 7-11 at the corner of NE 42nd and Pine.

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