Accessibility with Avaya IP Office Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) 1194.23, Telecommunications Products Avaya IP Office is an all-in-one solution specially designed to meet the communications challenges facing small and medium sized businesses. The IP Office Accessibility solutions includes hardware and software enhancements that address the needs of employees and customers who are visually impaired, blind, hard-of-hearing, or deaf. Many configurations of the Accessibility Suite are available. At a minimum, all will include an IP Office system (version 3.2 or above) with connection points for analog, digital, and IP telephony endpoints, an Avaya Model 5420 digital telephone, a TTY-enabled IP Office VoiceMail Pro messaging system, and Avaya IP Office Phone Status software. Text, Braille, and audio CD versions of the user guides are included. Criteria (a) Telecommunications products or systems which provide a function allowing voice communication and which do not themselves provide a TTY functionality shall provide a standard non-acoustic connection point for TTYs. Microphones shall be capable of being turned on and off to allow the user to intermix speech with TTY use. Supporting Features Remarks and Explanations This requirement contains two components. With regard to provision of a non-acoustic connection point for TTYs, most TTYs that permit electronic, non-acoustic connections to the telephone network do so through RJ-11 tip/ring lines of the sort found on residential analog telephone equipment. The IP Office system supports devices that connect in this manner. With regard to intermixing speech and TTY use on the same phone call, a reason why this capability is important is that nearly half of the people who use TTYs do so in a mixed-mode fashion, the most common being people who are hard of hearing but still able to speak clearly. These individuals often prefer to receive on their TTYs and then speak in response, a process commonly referred to as Voice Carry Over or VCO. IP Office may be used in conjunction with any standard VCO-capable TTY device, such as the Avaya Model 8840. Of perhaps equal importance, the Avaya IP Office VoiceMail Pro messaging adjunct supports mixed voice and TTY use. Specifically, IP Office VoiceMail Avaya IP Office Accessibility Suite Page 1 of 5
(b) Telecommunications products, which include voice communication functionality, shall support all commonly used cross-manufacturer non-proprietary standard TTY signal protocols. (c) Voice mail, auto-attendant, and interactive voice response telecommunications systems shall be usable by TTY users with their TTYs. (d) Voice mail, messaging, autoattendant, and interactive voice response telecommunications systems that require a response from a user within a time interval, shall give an alert when the time interval is about to run out, and shall provide sufficient time for the user to indicate more time is required. Pro allows callers to select whether they wish to be prompted by voice or by TTY, and then, regardless of whether voice or TTY prompting is being used, callers may leave a voice or TTY message. For example, even when the system is providing menu choices in TTY format, users are able to leave a voice message. NOTE: This ability of callers to select whether they wish to be prompted by voice or in TTY format means that it is not necessary to provide separate inbound phone numbers or separate mailboxes to employees who will be receiving both voice and TTY calls. IP Office supports all of the non-proprietary TTY protocols that are commonly used in the US. Please note, however, that the only TTY protocol that the US Access Board presently requires in messaging systems is TIA/EIA 825, commonly referred to as 45.45 baud Baudot signaling. This is the TTY protocol that is supported by the IP Office VoiceMail Pro messaging system. The IP Office VoiceMail Pro messaging adjunct is operable with TTYs in pure TTY mode or in a mixed TTY-and-voice mode, such as VCO (Voice Carry Over). Full TTY compatibility is provided for all telephone-access functions, including the subscriber user interface, call-answer user interface, and autoattendant functions. The IP Office VoiceMail Pro user interface is based on that of Avaya s Intuity AUDIX messaging system, winner of the 2000 Access Innovation Award from the Association of Access Engineering Specialists. NOTE: It has been our experience that most of the auto-attendant scripts that operate on Avaya platforms have been implemented by the managers of the systems, rather than by Avaya. For this reason, in many auto-attendant applications, it will be the purchaser's responsibility to ensure conformance with this accessibility standard. If IP Office VoiceMail Pro does not receive a response within 60 seconds after presenting a menu, it tells the user how to request help and how to request more time, and then warns the user that an entry must be made soon or the call will be disconnected. If there is an additional 60 seconds of inactivity after this warning, the system will say goodbye and disconnect. (The wait command initiates a timer that allows the user to take up to three minutes to make another entry.) NOTE: It has been our experience that most of the auto-attendant scripts that operate on Avaya platforms have been implemented by the managers of the systems, rather than by Avaya. The script-building tools that are included with Avaya IP Office Accessibility Suite Page 2 of 5
(e) Where provided, caller identification and similar telecommunications functions shall also be available for users of TTYs, and for users who cannot see displays. (f) For transmitted voice signals, telecommunications products shall provide a gain adjustable up to a minimum of 20 db. For incremental volume control, at least one intermediate step of 12 db of gain shall be provided. (g) If the telecommunications product allows a user to adjust the receive volume, a function shall be provided to automatically reset the volume to the default level after every use. (h) Where a telecommunications product delivers output by an audio transducer which is normally held up to the ear, a means for effective magnetic wireless coupling to hearing technologies shall be provided. (i) Interference to hearing technologies (including hearing aids, cochlear implants, and assistive listening devices) shall be reduced to the lowest possible level that allows a user of hearing technologies to utilize the telecommunications product. (j) Products that transmit or conduct information or communication, shall pass through cross-manufacturer, (Please see the discussion in the Remarks section.) IP Office VoiceMail Pro support the ability to implement time-out behaviors that comply with this When TTY devices that have a caller ID function are connected electronically to an IP Office system, caller ID information is displayed properly. When TTY devices are used in conjunction with Avaya telephones (e.g., via an acoustic coupler), the phones themselves display the information. In order to support users who cannot see displays, IP Office Accessibility solutions include Avaya IP Office Phone Status software. This software provides the caller ID information by voice. For a description of the many other capabilities that IP Office Phone Status provides, in support of users with visual impairments, please refer to the Remarks and Explanations for requirement 1194.23(k)(4). The Avaya digital and IP telephones that are commonly used with IP Office systems provide a user-adjustable amplitude range of at least 20 db. An intermediate step of 12 db is provided. For users who require additional gain, Avaya telephones may be equipped with amplified handsets When used in conjunction with Avaya digital and IP telephones that permit remote-control of their volume settings, IP Office has a per-extension configuration option to reset the volume of these phones to their default value at the end of every call. This requirement applies to telephony endpoints. All Avaya telephones are supplied with handsets that satisfy the FCC Part 68 requirements for hearing aid compatibility. This requirement applies to telephony endpoints. There is no aspect of the Avaya IP Office system that would interfere with a telephone s ability to satisfy this All in-band signals that can be transported reliably by the standard Public Switched Telephone Network are transmitted reliably within IP Office telephone systems. When used in conjunction with Avaya TDM-based Avaya IP Office Accessibility Suite Page 3 of 5
non-proprietary, industry-standard codes, translation protocols, formats or other information necessary to provide the information or communication in a usable format. Technologies which use encoding, signal compression, format transformation, or similar techniques shall not remove information needed for access or shall restore it upon delivery. (k)(1) Products which have Controls and Keys shall be tactilely discernible without activating the controls or keys. (k)(2) Products which have Controls and Keys shall be operable with one hand and shall not require tight grasping, pinching, twisting of the wrist. The force required to activate controls and keys shall be 5 lbs. (22.2N) maximum. (k)(3) Products which have If key repeat is supported, the delay before repeat shall be adjustable to at least 2 seconds. Key repeat rate shall be adjustable to 2 seconds per character. (k)(4) Products which have The status of all locking or toggle controls or keys shall be visually discernible, and discernible either (Please see the discussion in the Remarks section.) telephony endpoints, including the Avaya Model 8840 TTY, no special modification or administrative settings are required. For some IP-connected devices (such as Avaya 4600-series IP telephones) or services, it may be necessary for the IP Office system administrator to specify that certain protocols be used, e.g., G.711 audio encoding. All Avaya telephones conform to this The dial pads are arranged in a standard manner, with a raised nub on the 5-key, thereby making tactile navigation easier for blind or visually impaired users. Navigation and identification of the special function buttons is facilitated by tactilely discernible landmarks, such as the large "rocker switch" that adjusts the receive volume. All Avaya telephones conform to this All Avaya telephones conform to this A typical modern business telephone has a large LCD screen, on which a tremendous amount of information is presented visually. Examples include caller ID information, which lines are in use, which lines are on hold, whether there is new voicemail, whether the phone is forwarded, whether do not disturb is active, and whether a caller on hold has disconnected. In fact, in some Avaya configurations, the status of over 240 different functions may be Avaya IP Office Accessibility Suite Page 4 of 5
through touch or sound. displayed by the telephone. For people who are visually impaired, the inability to access the same information as sighted people can be a significant inconvenience. More importantly, it can be an insurmountable barrier to communication-centric jobs that might otherwise be ideal for people with disabilities, such as receptionist or contact center agent. In response to this need, Avaya developed IP Office Phone Status software. This software is a standard component of the IP Office Accessibility solution, and is usable with standard, unmodified Avaya telephones. IP Office Phone Status software is loaded into the user s desktop PC. The status of the telephone is monitored via a TAPI connection to the IP Office system. Information of the sort typically conveyed to sighted users by LCDs on the phone is presented automatically by voice through the PC s speakers, for example Line three is on hold, You have new voicemail, Forward all calls to extension 123 enabled, Do not disturb is on, and Line three has disconnected. Text information on the telephone s display, such as the caller ID information, is voiced out only when the user requests it, thereby helping to protect the privacy of the caller and of the user. The IP Office Phone Status configuration tool allows users to specify the telephony information that should be voiced out, and also allows users to select the keyboard keys that will trigger the different IP Office Phone Status functions. 2006 Avaya Inc. All rights reserved. Except as specifically stated, none of the material may be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted, or transmitted in any form without authorized, prior written permission from Avaya Inc. Permission is granted for you to make a single copy of Avaya Inc. Section 508 documents, solely for informational and non-commercial use within your organization, provided that you keep intact all copyright and other proprietary notices. No other use of the information provided is authorized. This market information is provided, pursuant to FAR Part 39.2, to be used by Requiring Officers. It is not intended to represent a certification for compliance. Any statement of compliance or conformance indicated on this document is an indication that the product shall be capable, at the time of its delivery, when used in accordance with Avaya's associated documents, and other written information provided to the government, of providing comparable access to individuals with disabilities consistent with the designated provision of the Standards, provided that any assistive technologies used with the product properly interoperates with it and other assistive technologies. Avaya IP Office Accessibility Suite Page 5 of 5