Telecommunications Industry Association

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1 Document Cover Sheet Project Number Document Title Source PN (to become TSB-177) Proposal for Marking to Show Compliance with TIA-1083 VTech Communications Contact Stephen R Whitesell 2 Shannon Ct Howell, NJ Phone: Fax: swhitesell@vtech.ca Distribution TR Intended Purpose X For Incorporation Into TIA Publication of Document For Information (Select one) Other (describe) - The document to which this cover statement is attached is submitted to a Formulating Group or sub-element thereof of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) in accordance with the provisions of Sections inclusive of the TIA Engineering Manual dated March 2005, all of which provisions are hereby incorporated by reference. Abstract A graphic symbol and accompanying text for marking packaging and literature of products complying with TIA-1083 is proposed. The graphic symbol is a modification of an international symbol already in use for identifying assistive listening devices created by adding a T denoting T-coil coupling. The symbol does not have the diagonal bar that some members of the hearing impaired community find objectionable. The text specifically identifies the TIA-1083 standard. v

2 Background The ability to identify products that comply with the new TIA-1083 standard on Handset Magnetic Measurement Procedures and Performance Requirements is a major concern that has been voiced by advocates for people who use magnetic (T-coil) coupling of telephones to hearing aids. The PN project was launched to address that need. One of the main issues is coming up with a graphic symbol that will be easily understood and well accepted by the target audience. The International symbol for indicating facilities for deaf and hard of hearing people consists of the stylized ear with a bar through it as shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 - International Symbol of Access for Hearing Loss The use of this symbol with a T added in the lower right corner, as shown in Figure 2, has been recommended for use to indicate the availability of induction loops or other means for magnetically coupling to hearing aids in the T-coil mode. It was included as a recommended marking method in the expired TIA/EIA-504-A standard for Magnetic Field and Acoustic Gain Requirements for Handset Telephones Intended for Use by the Hard of Hearing. It is currently included in ETSI EN v1.1.1, Symbols to Identify Communications Facilities for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People. Figure 2 - ETSI EN Graphical Symbol No. 10: Inductive Coupling However, these symbols have not found widespread acceptance among hard of hearing people for a number of reasons. The Canadian Association of the Deaf has taken a position opposing the use of the slashed ear symbol. The following is an excerpt from their statement dated July 17, The Canadian Association of the Deaf formally rejected the use of the slashed-ear universal symbol of access in We brought our position to the attention of the World Federation of the Deaf, which had approved of the symbol, and persuaded the WFD to withdraw its support of it. The WFD is presently working towards the design of an acceptable replacement symbol. The slashed-ear symbol was rejected for many reasons: It fails to distinguish between the very different access needs of people who are Deaf and people who are hard of hearing; thus, the symbol could be used to indicate that assistive listening devices are provided, but not Sign language interpretation. Therefore it fails to Page 2

3 function as a true symbol of access for EITHER Deaf OR hard of hearing people, let alone BOTH at the same time. It fails to indicate what access is being provided: interpretation? employees who Sign? TTYs? flashing alarms? The slash across the ear implies that hearing loss is a defect or a negative, i.e. "can't hear". Symbols for other disabilities focus on the positive: people with mobility disabilities "can use wheelchairs", blind people "can use canes". The slashed-ear symbol leads to misunderstandings: Deaf children have been known to assume it means "No Deaf people allowed". The slashed-ear symbol is unattractive. The development of a single replacement symbol has apparently never come to fruition, perhaps because of the differing access needs identified in the first bullet item. However, a symbol for identifying Assistive Listening Systems does appear on several state agency web sites, many of which credit the Graphic Artists Guild ( as the source. The GAG makes a number of Disability Access Symbols available for free download. The symbol focuses on the positive (third bullet item above), is meant to indicate the type of access being provided (second bullet item), and eliminates the bar or slash (bullet items 3-5). The symbol is shown in Figure 3 and described as follows: These systems transmit amplified sound via Hearing aids, headsets or other devices. They include infrared, loop and FM systems Portable systems may be available from the same audiovisual equipment suppliers that service conferences and meetings. Figure 3 - Symbol for Assistive Listening Systems (source: Graphic Artists Guild) The dots and dash coming from the lower left depict an external means for coupling to the hearing aid, which then provides amplified sound as indicated by the increasing wave fronts at the upper right. Proposal A graphic symbol suitable for identifying TIA-1083 compliance can be created by taking the positive symbol in Figure 3 and add the T from Figure 2 to it in order to indicate that magnetic T-coil coupling is the type of assistive listening capability provided. The marking symbol also needs some words to identify the TIA-1083 standard. Since the use of the phrase T-Coil Friendly as proposed in the initial draft for PN may not possible because of copyright concerns, the following text is suggested for use in a box beneath the graphic symbol: Page 3

4 Normal and reverse images of the proposed marking symbols are shown in Figure 4: Figure 4 - Proposed TIA-1083 Compliance Marking Symbols The graphical portion of the marking symbol is square and the text box portion is 1/3 the height of the graphical portion, giving an overall 4:3 height to width ratio. Figure 5 on the following page shows the original symbols on the top line. They were created using a 3 by 3 inch graphical symbol and a 1 by 3 inch text box with 20 pt Arial Bold font. The next two lines are reductions to 50% and 25% of the original size. When printed on a 300 dpi printer, the text for the smallest marking symbols is small but distinctly legible. Additional Considerations We will probably need to obtain permission from the Graphic Arts Guild to modify their Assistive Listening Systems symbol by adding the T to it. We may also want to consider whether the normal symbol is the one with the white background or the one with the black background. The GAG web site refers to the white background as a pos image and the black background as a neg image, probably related to the traditional black and white photography concepts of a negative. The one with the black background tends to look better in smaller sizes, at least in the opinion of the author. We may also want to consider whether there should be a symbol with the blue background that is often associated with disability access symbols, such as the one shown in Figure 1. Page 4

5 Figure 5 Proposed Marking Symbols in Various Sizes (see text) Page 5