Georgia Relay, the free public service that enables people who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind or have difficulty speaking to place and receive telephone calls, welcomes the Augusta, Georgia Government as the newest Georgia Relay Partner. The government staff completed their Georgia Relay Partner training during the summer, and are now equipped to place and receive calls from Georgia Relay users.
 
To date, 216 employees within the Augusta, Georgia Government have received Georgia Relay Partner training, and 23 departments are now prepared to receive calls from Relay users.
 
The Georgia Relay Partner program seeks to improve communication between local businesses and residents who use Georgia Relay to place telephone calls. Georgia Relay Partners receive free training and materials to learn to answer and place Relay calls with confidence, making it easier to serve customers who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind or who have difficulty speaking. Georgia Relay Partners also receive marketing materials to let Georgia Relay users know the company is Relay friendly.
 
“Making a Relay call to a business or government office can be a very frustrating experience when the representative answering the phone doesn’t understand how Relay works and unintentionally hangs up on someone needing help,” says Brendan Underwood, Georgia Relay outreach coordinator. “The goal of the Georgia Relay Partner program is to eliminate this confusion and help Relay users communicate with these organizations. Now, the Augusta, Georgia Government is prepared to take these calls and connect with more Georgia residents.”
 
“Training employees about Georgia Relay and becoming a Georgia Relay Partner is an important step towards ensuring that our citizens with hearing and speech impairments experience excellent customer service and effective communications when they call Augusta, Georgia Government offices,” said Carole Burrowbridge, ADA Officer in the Compliance Department of the Augusta, Georgia Government.