Captioned Telephone (CapTel) is useful for individuals who have some amount of hearing loss, making it difficult to understand what is being said over the phone. With CapTel, users speak directly to the other party and listen while reading captions of what’s said to them. Captions appear on the bright, built-in display screen of the uniquely designed CapTel phone, just moments after the other party has spoken.
So if you’ve ever missed out on what was said during a telephone call, you no longer need to! Now you can have clarity and confidence on every call.
The captioning service is free and is available in English or Spanish.
Placing a CapTel call is the same as dialing a number on any other telephone. All of the captioning takes place behind the scenes and does not interfere or interrupt your phone conversation.
Using the latest in voice-recognition technology, a specially trained operator generates captions that appear just moments after what’s said by the person you’re talking with. Calls are processed quickly and efficiently so you’ll have complete confidence that you’re receiving everything that’s being said on every call.
There are two options when it comes to receiving captions on your CapTel phone:
The person calling you dials 1-877-243-2823 (toll-free) and when prompted, enters your telephone number. Simply answer the phone and listen while reading captions of what’s said.
Connecting two phone lines to your CapTel phone automatically routes incoming and outgoing calls through the captioning center. This allows callers to reach you directly by simply dialing your telephone number. Spoken conversation is provided on one line while captions are processed behind the scenes on the second line.
| 1-Line CapTel | 2-Line CapTel | |
|---|---|---|
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Number of Lines For those with only digital phone service, additional options are available. For more information call 888-514-7933 or visit hamiltoncaptel.com. |
Requires one standard (analog) telephone line or DSL with an analog filter. | The first telephone line can be DSL with an analog filter, Digital Cable or VoIP. The second line must be an analog telephone line or DSL with an analog filter. |
| How Calls are Managed | Spoken conversations and captions provided through one telephone line. | Spoken conversation is provided on one line; captions are provided on the second line. |
| Captioning | Captions must be turned on prior to dialing the number to call. A red light indicates that captions are “on.” | Captions can be turned on or off at any point in the conversation. |
| Outgoing Calls | Outgoing calls are automatically routed through the CapTel Captioning Center. | Both incoming and outgoing calls are automatically routed through the CapTel Captioning Center. |
| Calling a CapTel User | People calling the CapTel user must first dial the toll-free number for CapTel, then dial the CapTel user's phone number when prompted. | People calling the CapTel user dial that person's number directly. |
| Calling Features | Call-waiting and automatic call back (*69) are not available. | Call-waiting and automatic call back (*69) can be used. |
| Three-Digit Dialing | CapTel users are able to dial three-digit numbers such as 211 and 411 directly from the CapTel phone. | Three-digit dialing functions the same in 1-Line or 2-Line mode. |
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911 Calls Note that CapTel Captioning Centers are not 911 centers and do not assume responsibility for calls placed through 911. |
Calls placed to 911 connect directly to Emergency 911 Services are not routed through the CapTel Captioning Center. Calls are processed as VCO* calls whereby the 911 call-taker can hear everything you say and then types his/her response which appears on the CapTel display screen. You speak directly into the handset, as you would with any other CapTel call. *VCO stands for “Voice Carry Over,” a service that allows callers to speak for themselves and read typed responses. |
Calls placed to 911 are captioned through the CapTel Captioning Center. |