The NRS is a phone service for people who are deaf, or have a hearing or speech impairment - and those who wish to make phone calls to them.
This requirement is set out in the Commonwealth legislation that governs the NRS.
You may have a combination of disabilities that affects your ability to make calls and speak or hear on the telephone.
However, if you want to use the NRS you will need to accept the standard procedures for making relay calls. You can use the checklist at the end of this page to see if the NRS is right for you.
Different types of calls
The NRS provides a number of call options depending on your particular needs.
Speak and Listen is for people who can use their own voice (or a voice output device) but may be hard to understand on the phone.
If you are thinking of using Speak and Listen please note that:
- it is designed to be used by people with a speech impairment
- it is a relay service, not a call connection service (although relay officers connect the call as part of the service, they stay on the line throughout the call)
- you can create a profile through our Helpdesk which lets the relay officer know what to do to help with a call from you. Note that a profile can say that the customer may not require relaying during every call. The profile can't say that the customer is not speech-impaired or does not require the call to be relayed.
Type and Listen for people who can hear, but can't use their own voice on the phone. This call option requires the use of a TTY - a special type of textphone with a keyboard and display screen.
Speak and Read for people who can't hear well on the phone, but who use their own speech. This requires a TTY.
Type and Read for people who are deaf and don't use their own speech, or who want to type their phone calls. This requires a TTY.
Internet relay is a form of Type and Read call made via the internet.
The relay officer's role
Relay officers are a central part of any NRS relay call, and you need to be aware of what they can and can't do. Relay officers will:
- introduce themselves and the NRS
- explain the service and their role to you or the other person if required
- stay on the line and listen to the conversation for the duration of the call
- relay what you or the other person says when required
- keep the content of calls confidential.
The relay officer CAN:
- give you advice about the mechanics or operation of the call
- type (in TTY calls) your words or those of the other party to the call
- speak (in TTY and internet relay calls) the words that you or the other party to the call have typed
- re-speak your words (in Speak and Listen calls only) if the other party to the call doesn't understand what you say
- give your name, address, or telephone number to the other person if you request this
- give information such as passwords or account numbers to the other person if you request this
- tell the other person that you are using a voice output device or have a speech or hearing impairment
- ask the other person to be patient while you generate a message.
The relay officer CAN'T:
- remind you of what to say or generally prompt you during the call
- help you make decisions
- give you advice about the content of your call
- remind you to stay on topic
- rephrase or summarise what you or the other person have said
- respeak what the other person has said
- go off the line and stop listening to the call.
Your role
With all NRS calls, you - not the relay officer - are responsible for the content of the call and for control of the call.
You will need to:
- have your phone numbers ready and anything else needed for the call
- use English for all parts of the call that need to be relayed
- participate in standard relay call procedures - there aren't many and they are easy to learn.
Checklist: is the NRS for me?
If you can answer yes to the following five questions then the NRS can help you make phone calls using one of the above call options:
- Do I have a hearing or communication impairment?
- Can I keep control of my call and not depend on the relay officer for its content?
- Am I able to use English for those parts of the call that need to be relayed?
- Am I comfortable with the relay officer being on the line and with relay procedures?
- Can I manage the technology required, such as a voice output device or TTY?
More information
If you need more information, training or support, contact our Helpdesk.
Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999
Under section 95 of this Act, the National Relay Service:
"... provides persons who are deaf, or who have a hearing and/or speech impairment, with access to a standard telephone service".
