According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 32 million American adults have some degree of hearing loss. For this population, email and instant messaging are critical tools for everyday communications. The new real-time IM feature within AIM enhances instant message conversations by enabling users to see each letter that a buddy types rather than waiting for a friend to press the send button to view and read a message. This enables deaf users to respond and react to words as they are typed just as hearing people would do as words are spoken in a voice conversation.

“AIM enjoys a loyal following among consumers who are deaf and hard of hearing, so we were pleased that Gallaudet and the Trace Center chose to work with us to leverage its popularity and explore integration of real-time text functionality," said Tom Wlodkowski, Director of Accessibility, AOL. "This is a big win for AOL and the deaf community since the use of real-time text is receiving increased attention as a necessary equivalent to voice communication for consumers with disabilities.”

“As a member of the deaf community and an active user of instant messaging, I knew there had to be a way for people like me to combine the familiarity of messaging on a TTY with a quick and popular online IM service such as AIM,” said Norman Williams, Senior Research Engineer for the Technology Access Program at Gallaudet University and developer of the real-time IM prototype used by AIM developers to implement this feature. “This was a priority for me to build and I’m so pleased that AOL has chosen to incorporate this feature into AIM for the great benefit of deaf and hard of hearing users.”

To access this new feature, users simply click on “Actions” and then “Real-Time IM” from within an instant message window. A user may also highlight a buddy on his or her Buddy List and press Ctrl+R on the keyboard to initiate real-time IM. Both the IM sender and receiver must have the version of AIM that includes the real-time IM functionality to use the feature.

AOL has a history of making its products accessible to any and all users, and has made great strides on behalf of deaf and hard of hearing people. In 2004, AOL launched AIM Relay Services to allow users to connect with telecommunication relay services right from their AIM Buddy Lists on their desktops or their cell phones.

In August 2007, AOL released Websuite Basic – Accessible Version, a new webmail product that was lauded by the National Federation of the Blind and other leading consumer organizations. This new webmail interface allows users who are blind or have low vision to engage in a robust email experience that is highly compatible with screen reader software without the need for a computer mouse. Users can access this version by visiting http://mail.aol.com and clicking “Accessible Version” on the footer.

About AOL

AOL is a global Web services company that operates some of the most popular Web destinations, offers a comprehensive suite of free software and services, runs one of the largest Internet access businesses in the U.S., and provides a full set of advertising solutions. A majority-owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., AOL LLC and its subsidiaries have operations in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Asia. Learn more at AOL.com.

About Gallaudet University’s Technology Access Program

Gallaudet University’s Technology Access Program, established in 1986, is a leading center of research aimed at improving the accessibility of communications technologies to people who are deaf and hard of hearing.

About the Trace Research and Development Center

The Trace Research and Development Center is a part of the College of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Founded in 1971, Trace has been a pioneer in the field of technology and accessibility for all disabilities.