Unit 16: History of TTYs HW

1990

Even smaller devices that could be easily carried around, i.e., in a pocket, came on the market.

1981

In California a law was passed to mandate distribution of free TDDs to Deaf phone company customers. This enabled a wider segment of the Deaf population to get in touch with each other easily.

1975

Printers were added to these devices. The printouts were about 2 inches wide.

1970

Small portable devices known as teletypewriters came on the market. They had digital readouts but no paper printouts.

What is appealing about the latest device to come on the market?

They are lightweight and very convenient to carry around. In addition, they have a memory for storing phone numbers.

How did Deaf people get in touch with each other a long time ago?

They had to travel by public transportation or by car to see their friends and family.

What were the disadvantages of the original teletypewriters?

They took up a lot of space in the house, were very noisy and were painted an unattractive green.

1960s

Western Union Telegraph was getting rid of their old teletypewriters, a Deaf man invented a coupler that would allow Deaf people to used the teletypewriters to call each other. They had continuous paper printouts that were about 10 inches wide.

With the old machines, how did you know it was your turn to talk?

When the machine stop shaking, the person on the other end of the line had stopped typing.