Can Deaf People Still Have Phone Sex ?

As the adage goes, when there’s a will, there’s a way. And when it comes to sex and its many variations, humans are very innovative. As long as there have been phones, there has been phone sex. It may not have started upon the first successful call placed, but, as most humans know, sex is never far from the mind. Even today, with FaceTime, Skype, and a limitless array of messaging apps to substitute face to face contact while apart, phone sex is still a prevalent part of society, both between members of a consenting adult relationship and through the use of phone sex operators. But there’s one very valuable group of people for whom the phone industry isn’t ideal: the deaf community.

While it’s conceivable in modern life, with cell phones and ample means of text and video-based communications, that phone sex could be considered unnecessary, this has not always been the case. Throughout the history of phone sex, since the phone’s rise to universality until the invention of text messaging and video chat, phone sex was the only alternative for individuals looking to enjoy the wonders of long-distance intercourse.

Teletypewriter

As an audio-based method of communication, the phone has long proved to be problematic for those in the deaf community. In order to ensure everyone, even those without the inability to hear normally, could partake in the wonders of the phone, telecommunications devices for the deaf were initially introduced in the mid-1960s.

Also known as teletypewriters, or TTY, textphones, and minicoms, these devices resemble small typewriters that transmit text via a phone line between two individuals with connected TTY devices. Instead of talking into a mouth piece as with a standard phone, users type the words they wish to share, and read type from their partner on a TTY device’s screen.

TTY devices were originally brought to life by Teletype Corporation, a division of American Telephone and Telegraph Company’s Western Electric, as a development of the company’s printing telegraph research. In 1960, American inventor Paul Taylor took Western Electric’s invention and combined it with a modem, creating the first simplistic TTY prototype.

TTY devices are still in use today, especially among older adults with a long history of TTY use. However, they do have some significant downsides; TTY devices are very impersonal, diminishing the intimate nature of phone sex discussions. In addition, typing can be cumbersome, especially for aging adults or those without fast, efficient typing skills who’d rather get lost in the moment instead of stopping to type.

Human Relay Phone Operators

For those who would rather not type, there are alternatives to simplify the process. Human relay operators are key parts of the deaf community, providing necessary services to both speaking and deaf individuals around the world. These services are especially valuable for deaf individuals who wish to speak with those who have normal speech and hearing, and thus do not own TTY devices.

With a human relay operator, the individual wishing to place a phone call can either dial a three digit extension, depending on location and available services, or place a call to a special phone number. In many locations, these services come in two different forms: voice carryover, or VCO, and hearing carryover, or HCO. Voice carryover refers to callers who wish to speak into the phone, and hearing carryover refers to callers who wish to listen through the phone.

When an individual requiring assistance from a human relay phone operator places a call, they are connected with an individual specially trained to relay messages back and forth between callers. In VCO, the caller speaks normally to the operator, who then transcribes the message and sends it to a TTY device. In HCO, the caller enters his or her message through a TTY device, which is then read to the other party.

Due to the ease of use, relay phone operators are extremely common, providing a human quality-control element to a phone sex conversation. While commonplace in standard communications, in phone sex, however, a third party’s involvement can be quite an awkward adjustment. In fact, the hilarity related to the discomfort of using a human operator has been well documented in pop culture, like Amy Schumer’s side-splitting monologue about phone sex with a deaf boyfriend. Despite this, many human relay operators experience phone sex on a regular basis, demonstrating an ease of use worth the awkwardness.

Sign Language Video Relay Service

Best known in pop culture from the iconic scene in 2014’s The Little Death, video relay services, or VRS, provide a video option to the traditional human operator model. In the movie, one of the characters is an operator for a video relay service, translating ASL in an awkward and embarrassing phone sex conversation. An option that allows individuals to communicate using American Sign Language, or ASL, rather than typed text, VRS requires a television or computer screen equipped with a web camera.

As the nature of VRS implies, this is a newer alternative to spoken or typed communication with an operator over a phone line. Instead of dialing a phone or TTY device and calling in, callers connect over the internet using webcam technology. A fairly recent development, VRS first gained traction in Sweden in the 1990s and rose to popularity in the United States in the mid-2000s, with licensing through the FCC approved in 2002.

VRS is widely used among the deaf community, especially between individuals who do not both speak ASL. As a medium for sex chat, it can be slightly uncomfortable – after all, VRS puts an individual face to face with a human operator – but is often employed by those with a high sex drive and urgent needs to fulfill.

Modern Technology

Modern technology has done wonders for the phone sex industry, opening up brand new avenues for those who wish to explore the delights of virtual sex. Applications like Skype, that offer both video and chat options, as well as FaceTime, text messaging apps, image and text apps like Snapchat, and voice recording software can all make communications fast and convenient. With the ability to make connections without a third-party, the world of phone sex is now much broader than ever before.

Despite the road blocks, phone sex is entirely possible within the deaf community. With alternatives like TTY, translators, and video relay service, deaf individuals who wish to recreate the sensation of getting it on over the telephone are more than welcome to do so. However, in today’s world of smart phones, tablets, and laptops, phone sex among the non-hearing isn’t as popular as it used to be. While not as personal and intimate as phone interactions, modern technology has only helped the deaf community, giving individuals with auditory struggles an equal opportunity to share in the joys of simulated sex.