Kentucky Relay aims to better the lives of Kentuckians struggling with hearing impairment

The Rotary Club of Hopkinsville learned about the Kentucky Relay service that focuses on assisting those with hearing or speech difficulties communicate via phone.

Peggy Ward with Kentucky Relay says they strive to provide a better way for those who need help to do what needs to be done, whether that be speaking with a doctor or simply calling their friends and family on the holidays.  She says how it works is the person with the proper device can call the service, which connects them to a trained professional, who relays their messages from there.

She says roughly 700,000 people in Kentucky are living with some level of hearing loss or speech impairment.

Ward says the Community Assistant is the one who uses their voice to speak for the individuals, who are either typing their words to them or speaking as clearly as possible.

In 1991, the Kentucky General Assembly charged the Public Service Commission with the responsibility of establishing a Telecommunications Relay Service Program in Kentucky. Video Relay Services are also available, allowing consumers using American Sign Language to communicate in their native language through video interpreters.