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TAYLOR: IN 1964 WHEN I SAW THE
PICTURE PHONE AT THE NEW YORK
WORLD’S FAIR, I COULD SEE THE
SOLUTION COMING.
IT JUST BLEW MY MIND!
IT JUST HIT ME THAT I COULD
COMMUNICATE ON A WIRE.
ALAN HURWITZ: I REMEMBER VERY
WELL PAUL WAS ALWAYS JUST A
DREAMER.
HE WAS ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT NEW
IDEAS.
ONE OF HIS MOST FRUSTRATING
TIMES WAS WHEN HE WAS NOT ABLE
TO USE THE TELEPHONE.
TAYLOR: ALL MY LIFE I HAD NEVER
USED THE TELEPHONE.
I HAD ALWAYS ASKED MY MOTHER, MY
HIGH SCHOOL FRIENDS AND OTHER
PEOPLE WHO KNEW ME WELL IF THEY
WOULD MIND MAKING A PHONE CALL.
I WOULD WRITE OUT THE NUMBER FOR
THEM AND THEY WOULD DO ME A
FAVOR.
ONE PROBLEM THAT I HAD WITH
THAT, IT DOESN’T LOOK VERY GOOD
TO CALL A GIRL THROUGH YOUR MOM
AND ASK FOR A DATE!
BUT I COULD SEE PROBLEMS IN THE
FUTURE AS WELL.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF I’M IN
EMPLOYMENT, PEOPLE WANT TO CALL
ME, PEOPLE WANT TO WORK ON
SOMETHING TOGETHER OVER THE
PHONE, HOW WOULD THAT WORK?
HURWITZ: HE CAME ACROSS A GOOD
FRIEND OF OURS FROM CALIFORNIA
WHO HAD INVENTED TECHNOLOGY THAT
WOULD ALLOW US TO USE OLD
TELETYPES THAT WOULD FIT WITH A
MODEM AND THAT WAY WE COULD USE
THE TELEPHONE LINES AND THE
TELEPHONE SYSTEM.
TAYLOR: HE SAID HE WOULD BE ABLE
TO SEND ME AN ACOUSTIC CONVERTER
AND THAT WOULD ALLOW ME TO
CHANGE THE WIRING IN MY TTY.
I WENT INTO THE BASEMENT, TOOK
THE THING APART AND MADE SOME
ADJUSTMENTS, PUT IT BACK
TOGETHER AND THEN HE SUGGESTED
THAT I CALL HIM AT HIS NUMBER.
SO I DIALED, AND HE ANSWERED
IMMEDIATELY.
HELLO, GO AHEAD!
IT WAS AN EXCITING MOMENT.
TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE
DIRECTLY TO CALIFORNIA FOR THE
FIRST TIME.
HIS RESPONSE WAS INSTANTANEOUS,
WE WERE ABLE TO TALK BACK AND
FORTH.
AND PEOPLE STARTED COMING TO MY
HOME TO SEE THIS MACHINE IN
ACTION.
THEY WERE ASTOUNDED.
IT MADE ME THINK, IF THE ENTIRE
DEAF COMMUNITY COULD BE
CONNECTED LIKE THIS THROUGHOUT
THE ENTIRE COUNTRY.
HURWITZ: HE WAS ABLE TO NETWORK
WITH THE TELEPHONE COMPANIES AND
BE ABLE TO TALK WITH DIFFERENT
PEOPLE.
I THINK THE IDEA OF HIM
ESTABLISHING THE TTY NETWORK WAS
NOT ONLY FOR COMMUNICATING
BETWEEN TWO DEAF PEOPLE, BUT THE
OTHER PART WAS HE REALLY WANTED
TO ESTABLISH AN ANSWERING
SERVICE, THE RELAY SERVICE, SO
THAT HE COULD BE ABLE TO CONTACT
PEOPLE WHO WERE NOT DEAF, AND I
BELIEVE THAT THAT REALLY HELPED
DEAF PEOPLE TO BECOME MORE
FUNCTIONAL AND MUCH MORE
INDEPENDENT IN THEIR
PROFESSIONAL LIVES.
TAYLOR: NTID HAD HEARD ABOUT ME
AND THE WORK I WAS DOING.
THEY KNEW I HAD AN ENGINEERING
DEGREE AND THEY OFFERED ME A
POSITION TO COME AND WORK WITH
THEM.
HURWITZ: PAUL IS PROBABLY ONE OF
A FEW OUT OF A HANDFUL OF DEAF
PEOPLE WHO HAVE ACHIEVED THEIR
PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING
LICENSE.
THAT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY
WE REALLY WANTED HIM TO COME TO
NTID AT RIT AND WE FELT THAT HE
COULD MAKE A HUGE IMPACT ON THE
LIVES OF YOUNG PEOPLE.
TAYLOR: SLOWLY THE TTY’S BECAME
LESS AND LESS MECHANICAL AND
MORE AND MORE ELECTRONIC.
THEY BECAME SMALLER AND SMALLER,
WHICH WAS WONDERFUL, THEN
EVENTUALLY
HURWITZ: WITH TODAY’S
TECHNOLOGIES, WITH MOBILE
PHONES, FACETIME, VIDEOPHONES,
ALL OF THAT, YOU KNOW, I THINK
PAUL CAN SIT BACK AND BE PROUD
THAT HE WAS ONE OF THE PIONEERS
THAT MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO
HAVE EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE
NOW.