Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVICE FOR THE DEAF
TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVICE FOR THE DEAF (TDD). The first official phone call using Relay Iowa, a telecommunications relay for Iowans who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired and those who want to speak to them, was made by Dr. James Snyder, a Dubuque dentist, to Governor Terry Branstad on August 11, 1992. To communicate, Snyder typed his message into a TDD which looked like a small typewriter or computer keyboard. A communications assistant relayed his message to the Governor and then typed the Governor's response and sent it back to Snyder. Snyder served on the Deaf Services Commission of Iowa and the Dual Party Relay Service Council.
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Source:
Bergstrom, Kathy. "Deaf Man Makes First TDD Call to Governor," Telegraph Herald, August 11, 1962, p. 3A. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=aEyKTaVlRPYC&dat=19920810&printsec=frontpage&hl=en