You say this as a joke, but you can twitter via SMS. In something like a drain where there is interference, it is quite possible for your phone to be able to send an SMS (which only requires a short, momentary connection) vs. calling for help (which requires a stable connection). Hell, you could even type in the text, hit send, and then throw your phone out of the drain so it has a better chance of sending (doesn't necessarily apply to this specific situation, but you get the idea)
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Trapped Girls Call for Help via Facebook
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You say this as a joke, but you can twitter via SMS. In something like a drain where there is interference, it is quite possible for your phone to be able to send an SMS (which only requires a short, momentary connection) vs. calling for help (which requires a stable connection). Hell, you could even type in the text, hit send, and then throw your phone out of the drain so it has a better chance of sending (doesn't necessarily apply to this specific situation, but you get the idea)
huh, interesting. I'll have to tell all my deaf friends that you think everyone's carrying one.
Seriously though, I'll have to contact AT&T and ask them if my Blackberry has similar functions. I was not aware of this. In fact I think a lot of us aren't aware of this. You think I haven't asked my friends? I'm not the only one who doesn't know, and I'm the tech savvy one. I think that says a lot.
There are TTY relay web sites, so anyphone capable of internet has access, http://www.sprintrelay.com/relay_service.htm
(BTW, we had someone send in a bomb threat via a TTY relay service late last year, tracked down to a public PC in an Adult Center. We think it was actually the deaf person who frequents the room who did it. I spoke with a few TLAs over that one.)
Yeah I know about web based relay. I'm partial to ip-relay.com
What I don't know about is how to go about "calling 911" from my Blackberry if something was to happen to me or someone with me.
But I guess I'll take some of your advices and just call and talk and not worry about listening to what they're asking me. "Hi I'm deaf and I'm calling in an emergency at (address). (The victim/property) has been (describe injury/damage) and need a/an (emergency vehicle) right away."
I'm still going to call AT&T and see what they have to say about this.
The kid could be either very smart since the voice connection was sucky, or just stupid because the voice connection would have been fine... but I could see how a data connection could make sense because voice calls require much more bandwidth/connection quality than data connections to be intelligible. So a "no-voice" call to 911 would only give an approximate cell site triangulation location, but a text to "911" could give more details considering that being trapped in a hole would probably weaken the signal quite a bit.
That brings me ask a personal question... can one send a text to 911 in the states?
However, this doesn't mean that the kid actually tried to call emergency services first... just postulation that a text could be more effective in some cases than voice.
That brings me ask a personal question... can one send a text to 911 in the states?
However, this doesn't mean that the kid actually tried to call emergency services first... just postulation that a text could be more effective in some cases than voice.
maademperor
[H]ard|Gawd
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at least they didnt tie a note to the phone that said "help, trapped in storm drain" and then threw the phone outside for someone to find 
Really, well last I checked, no one the the deaf community carries around big bulky TTY's, or even the ridiculously expensive "portable" ones ANYWHERE, hell I know plenty deaf famlies who don't even own TTY's anymore because they use the Internet, IM's and SMS's to speak with each other.
FYI I am hard of hearing and live in a deaf family(both parents are deaf), before you try and throw "but how do YOU know" in my face.
That's rubbish comparison. Basically you're saying that we're SOL. You have a choice to be with or without a phone. I do not. (Though, apparently some people here says I do).
I'm waiting for those people to speak up and tell me how to use my smartphone to call 911 without voice. If you know, then feel free to tell us. We'd really like that information.
id10t error
Tekara
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As far as TTY, *all* the deaf folks I've dealt with in my customer service days used an in-between service. They texted their comments to the service and somebody from the service would talk to me and text the person.
I do agree that those kids need to be taught better. When in an emergency, the first things to come to mind shouldn't be updating your facebook status.
I do agree that those kids need to be taught better. When in an emergency, the first things to come to mind shouldn't be updating your facebook status.
Enduring_Warrior
[H]ard|Gawd
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I guess writing on the forum does about the same thing as I've only found about 3 smart comments in the whole thread. Not to mention the unrelated ones. I bet they could do a SouthPark episode about this. "Stan stop using the phone now, and start twittering already"
It's simple, on the keypad press 9 then 1 then 1 then send or press and hold down the designated emergency keypad (which usually is 9.)
All cellular phones are able to call 911 in the U.S. regardless if they are on a plan or not. As long as there is a signal available to it. (This is FCC law.) People do go and pickup a cheap phone unativated just for this purpose.
Pretty much every phone I think. In New Zealand this includes public pay phones, and in elementary school they drill that fact into every child. And every time you read the instructions on new cell phones or walk near a pay phone that is repeated again in the instructions.
madmat
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Just remember kiddies, it takes a village... to raise an idiot.
Seriously, they should run PSA's on TV about 000 (Ausie 911) during cartoons, start teaching it in kindergarten along with stop, drop and roll and what a skull and crossbones means on containers and not to eat paste. Parents need to parent and teach their kids how to call and for what reasons (not to have someone to talk to or because Jimmy stole your playdough) are suitable for calling.
Seriously, they should run PSA's on TV about 000 (Ausie 911) during cartoons, start teaching it in kindergarten along with stop, drop and roll and what a skull and crossbones means on containers and not to eat paste. Parents need to parent and teach their kids how to call and for what reasons (not to have someone to talk to or because Jimmy stole your playdough) are suitable for calling.
Just playing devil's advocate in defense of these kids.
When I was growing up, I was of course taught about 999 (The UK emergency number), We where even taught about 112. But we also has it drummed into us that we shouldn't call it unless it was a real emergency. We where shown videos of kids making crank calls to the Fire Brigade, and then their parents die in an unassociated house fire because the Firemen where busy chasing the hoax.
As someone else in this thread suggested, they may not have considered their situation to be all that serious (at the time) and may have been afraid to dial 000 because they'd probably get into trouble.
When I was growing up, I was of course taught about 999 (The UK emergency number), We where even taught about 112. But we also has it drummed into us that we shouldn't call it unless it was a real emergency. We where shown videos of kids making crank calls to the Fire Brigade, and then their parents die in an unassociated house fire because the Firemen where busy chasing the hoax.
As someone else in this thread suggested, they may not have considered their situation to be all that serious (at the time) and may have been afraid to dial 000 because they'd probably get into trouble.
MMAOmegaRED
Weaksauce
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If these kids weren't dumb enough as it is why would the parents even let 10 year olds have facebook accounts? Go outside and play...er, wait...obviously they couldn't even handle that.