What is California Relay Service (CRS)?

CRS is a public service that guarantees all citizens access to prompt, professional and accurate communication through the telephone. Consumers of these specialized services, specifically individuals who are Deaf, Deaf Blind, Hard of Hearing or have difficulty speaking, can communicate on the telephone via TTY, Voice Carry Over (VCO), Hearing Carry Over (HCO), Speech-to-Speech (STS), Spanish and Captioned Telephone. This allows individuals to connect with family, friends or businesses with ease.

How does relay work?

Dial 711 to connect with CRS. A qualified Communication Assistant (CA) will ask for the area code and the number of the person you wish to call and begin the relay call. CAs can also access consumer phone books, allowing them to place calls based on a provided contact name. Generally, the CA will voice the typed message from the text telephone (TTY) user to you. The CA relays your voiced message by typing it to the TTY user.

For individuals who have difficulty speaking, CRS offers Speech-to-Speech (STS) services. Specially trained CAs are on hand to assist in these types of calls by repeating the STS user’s spoken part of the conversation to you in short phrases (unless otherwise requested by the user), working closely to ensure the entire conversation is understood.

Captioned Telephone (CTS)

Captioned Telephone is ideal and available for individuals who have difficulty hearing on the phone and are able to speak for themselves. A captioned telephone allows users to listen and read captions of what is said to them. To call a Captioned Telephone user, dial: 711 or 866-399-9050.

How do I apply for specialized equipment?

California Connect offers amplified phones, TTYs, Voice Carry Over (VCO) phones, Captioned Telephones and other equipment to eligible individuals in California who are Deaf, Deaf Blind, Hard of Hearing, have difficulty speaking or any cognitive disability. For more information, visit caconnect.org.