First Published: October 29, 2013

Last Updated: April 11, 2019

Accessibility Features for the Cisco IP Phone 7800 Series

The Cisco IP Phones 7811, 7821, 7841, and 7861 provide accessibility features for the blind, and the visually, hearing, and mobility impaired. Because many of these features are standard, they can be used by users with disabilities without requiring any special configuration.

The Cisco IP Phone 7800 Series has two firmware streams: on-premises and multiplatform phones. The phones with on-premises firmware connect to Cisco products like the Cisco Unified Communications Manager. The multiplatform phones connect to third-party call control systems.

In this document, the term phone support pages refers to the web pages that users can access to set up certain features. For Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Release 10.0 and later), these pages are the Self Care Portal. For Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Release 9.1 and earlier), these pages are the User Options web pages. For Multiplatform Phones, these are the phone web pages.

For additional information, see the phone User Guides:

Cisco is committed to designing and delivering accessible products and technologies to meet the needs of your organization. You can find more information about Cisco and its commitment to accessibility at this URL: http://www.cisco.com/go/accessibility

New and Changed March 2019

The following changes were made to this document:

  • New content to support Multiplatform Phones

Hearing-Impaired Accessibility Features for On-Premises Phones

Your phone comes with standard accessibility features that require little or no setup.

To check which phone model you have, press Applications and select Phone information. The Model number field shows your phone model.

Figure 1. Hearing-Impaired Accessibility Features—Cisco IP Phone 7861 Shown
Table 1. Hearing-Impaired Accessibility Features

Item

Accessibility Feature

Description

1

Visual message-waiting indicator (handset)

This lighted strip is visible from all angles. Your phone also provides an audible message-waiting indicator.

To change the light or the audible voice-message indicator, sign in to the phone support pages and access the message-indicator settings. You can change each setting to on or off.

Your administrator can also change your settings.

2

Visual notification of the phone state

  • Toggle the Mute and Speakerphone buttons on and off to indicate the phone state.

  • Use the Mute button to toggle the microphone on or off. When the microphone is muted, the button is lit.

  • Use the Speakerphone button to toggle the speakerphone on or off. When the speakerphone is on, the button is lit.

3

Inline-amplifier support (handset)

Cisco IP Phone handsets support third-party inline amplifiers. You attach an amplifier to the handset and cord and it sits between the handset and the IP phone.

4

Adjustable ringtone, pitch, and volume

  • Select Applications > Preferences.

  • Adjust the volume level for the phone ring. While the handset is in the cradle and the headset and speakerphone buttons are off, press Volume to raise or lower the volume.

Your administrator can also change your settings.

5

Hearing aid compatible (HAC) handset

Supports these accessibility features:

  • Hearing-aid compatible.

  • Magnetic coupling of the hearing aid.

  • Federal Communications Commission (FCC) loudness requirements for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

  • Section 508 loudness requirements, which are met by using industry-standard inline handset amplifiers.

6

Acoustic coupled TTY and TDD support (handset)

Cisco IP Phones support these TTY and TDD features:

  • Acoustic or direct connect TTYs from industry-leading manufacturers.

  • Real-time text transmission over phone lines.

  • Hearing and voice carry over phones (HCO/VCO).

  • VoIP network operating at G.711.

For information about setting up TTY, contact your administrator.

Hearing-Impaired Accessibility Features for Multiplatform Phones

Your phone comes with standard accessibility features that require little or no setup.

To check which phone model you have, press Applications and select Status > Product Information. The Product name field shows your phone model.

Figure 2. Hearing-Impaired Accessibility Features—Cisco IP Phone 7861 Shown
Table 2. Hearing-Impaired Accessibility Features

Item

Accessibility Feature

Description

1

Visual message-waiting indicator (handset)

This lighted strip is visible from all angles. Your phone also provides an audible message-waiting indicator.

To change the light or the audible voice-message indicator, sign in to the phone support pages and access the message-indicator settings. You can change each setting to on or off.

Your administrator can also change your settings.

2

Visual notification of the phone state

  • Toggle the Mute and Speakerphone buttons on and off to indicate the phone state.

  • Use the Mute button to toggle the microphone on or off. When the microphone is muted, the button is lit.

  • Use the Speakerphone button to toggle the speakerphone on or off. When the speakerphone is on, the button is lit.

3

Inline-amplifier support (handset)

Cisco IP Phone handsets support third-party inline amplifiers. You attach an amplifier to the handset and cord and it sits between the handset and the IP phone.

4

Adjustable ringtone, pitch, and volume

  • Select Applications > User preferences

  • Adjust the volume level for the phone ring. While the handset is in the cradle and the headset and speakerphone buttons are off, press Volume to raise or lower the volume.

Your administrator can also change your settings.

5

Hearing aid compatible (HAC) handset

Supports these accessibility features:

  • Hearing-aid compatible.

  • Magnetic coupling of the hearing aid.

  • Federal Communications Commission (FCC) loudness requirements for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

  • Section 508 loudness requirements, which are met by using industry-standard inline handset amplifiers.

6

Acoustic coupled TTY and TDD support (handset)

Cisco IP Phones support these TTY and TDD features:

  • Acoustic or direct connect TTYs from industry-leading manufacturers.

  • Real-time text transmission over phone lines.

  • Hearing and voice carry over phones (HCO/VCO).

  • VoIP network operating at G.711.

For information about setting up TTY, contact your administrator.

Vision-Impaired and Blind Accessibility Features for On-Premises Phones

Your phone comes with standard accessibility features that require little or no setup.

Figure 3. Vision-Impaired and Blind Accessibility Features—Cisco IP Phone 7861 Shown
Table 3. Vision-Impaired and Blind Accessibility Features

Item

Accessibility Feature

Description

1

High-contrast visual and audible alert of an incoming call

Alerts you to an incoming call. The handset light strip flashes during incoming calls and stays lit when a voicemail message is received.

2

Line and feature buttons on the Cisco IP Phone

  • On the Cisco IP Phone 7861, the line and feature buttons are on the right side of the phone.

  • On the Cisco IP Phone 7821 and 7941, the line and feature buttons are on the left side of the screen.

  • The Cisco IP Phone 7811 does not have line and feature buttons.

Use line buttons to start, answer, or switch to a call on a particular line.

Features, such as speed dial, line status, privacy, do not disturb (DND), and service URLs, can be assigned to feature buttons.

Your administrator sets up programmable feature buttons on your phone.

Colors indicate your phone's status:

  • Green, steady—Active call or two-way intercom call

  • Green, flashing—Held call

  • Amber, steady—Privacy in use, one-way intercom call, DND active, or signed in to a hunt group

  • Amber, flashing—Incoming call or reverting call

  • Red, steady—Remote line in use (shared line or line status)

  • Red, flashing—Remote line on hold

3

Back-lit grayscale LCD screen with adjustable contrast on the Cisco IP Phone

  • The Cisco IP Phone 7811 does not have a back light.

Allows you to adjust your phone screen's contrast.

4

Softkeys

  • These are large buttons just below the LCD.

Provide access to special functions. The functions are displayed on the LCD.

5

Navigation Cluster (includes the Navigation ring and the Select button)

  • The Navigation cluster is located in the center of the phone.

Use the Navigation ring to move up and down in the phone LCD. The Select button is in the center of the Navigation cluster.

6

Messages button, Applications button, and Contacts button

  • These three large buttons are located to the left of the Navigation cluster.

  • In this group of buttons, the Messages button is the single button in the top row. Below the Messages button, the Applications button is on the left, and the Contacts button is on the right.

Allow you to easily access your messages, applications, and contacts.

7

Hold button, Transfer button, and Conference button

  • These three large buttons are located to the right of Navigation cluster.

  • In this group of buttons, the Hold button is the single button in the top row. Below the Hold button, the Transfer button is on the left, and the Conference button is on the right.

Allow you to use these functions on your phone.

8

Volume key

  • This key is located to the left of the keypad.

Allows you to increase or decrease the ring volume or the sound through the handset, headset, or speakerphone.

Press up on the rocker key to increase the volume. Press down on the rocker key to decrease the volume.

9

Standard 12-key layout

Allows you to use existing or familiar key positions. Key 5 has a nib.

10

Cisco IP Phone 7821, 7841, and 7861:

  • Headset, Speakerphone, and Mute buttons located to the right of the keypad.

  • The Speakerphone button is on the top, the Headset button is in the middle, and the Mute button is on the bottom.

Cisco IP Phone 7811:

  • Speakerphone and Mute buttons located to the right of the keypad.

  • The Speakerphone button is on the top and the Mute button is on the bottom.

  • The Cisco IP Phone 7811 does not contain a headset port nor have a Headset button.

Provide audible notification of the phone state:

  • Toggle the Headset, Mute, and Speakerphone buttons on and off to indicate the phone state.

  • Use the Headset button to toggle the headset on or off. When the headset is on, the button is lit.

  • Use the Mute button to toggle the microphone on or off. When the microphone is muted, the button is lit. When you turn on Mute, your phone beeps once; when you turn off Mute, your phone beeps twice.

  • Use the Speakerphone button to toggle the speakerphone on or off. When the speakerphone is on, the button is lit.

Adjustable Footstand

You can adjust the footstand to either of two viewing angles. This provides optimum phone display viewing and easy access to all buttons and keys.

Vision-Impaired and Blind Accessibility Features for Multiplatform Phones

Your Multiplatform phone comes with standard accessibility features that require little or no setup.

Figure 4. Vision-Impaired and Blind Accessibility Features—Cisco IP Phone 7861 Shown
Phone with callouts. The callouts are described below.

The following table describes the vision-impaired and blind accessibility features on the Cisco IP Phone 7800 Series Multiplatform Phones.

Table 4. Vision-Impaired and Blind Accessibility Features

Item

Accessibility Feature

Description

1

High-contrast visual and audible alert of an incoming call

Alerts you to an incoming call. The handset light strip flashes during incoming calls and stays lit when a voicemail message is received.

2

Line and feature buttons on the Cisco IP Phone

  • On the Cisco IP Phone 7861, the line and feature buttons are on the right side of the phone.

  • On the Cisco IP Phone 7821 and 7941, the line and feature buttons are on the left side of the screen.

  • The Cisco IP Phone 7811 does not have line and feature buttons.

Use line buttons to start, answer, or switch to a call on a particular line.

Features, such as speed dial, line status, privacy, do not disturb (DND), and service URLs, can be assigned to feature buttons.

Your administrator sets up programmable feature buttons on your phone.

Colors indicate your phone's status:

  • Green—Line is idle.

  • Red, steady—Line is active or in use.

  • Red, flashing—Line is on hold or there is an inbound call.

  • Amber, steady—Line is unregistered (cannot be used).

3

Back-lit grayscale LCD screen with adjustable contrast on the Cisco IP Phone

  • The Cisco IP Phone 7811 does not have a back light.

Allows you to adjust your phone screen's contrast.

4

Softkeys

  • These are large buttons just below the LCD.

Provide access to special functions. The functions are displayed on the LCD.

5

Navigation Cluster (includes the Navigation ring and the Select button)

  • The Navigation cluster is located in the center of the phone.

Use the Navigation ring to move up and down in the phone LCD. The Select button is in the center of the Navigation cluster.

6

Messages button, Applications button, and Contacts button

  • These three large buttons are located to the left of the Navigation cluster.

  • In this group of buttons, the Messages button is the single button in the top row. Below the Messages button, the Applications button is on the left, and the Contacts button is on the right.

Allow you to easily access your messages, applications, and contacts.

7

Hold button, Transfer button, and Conference button

  • These three large buttons are located to the right of Navigation cluster.

  • In this group of buttons, the Hold button is the single button in the top row. Below the Hold button, the Transfer button is on the left, and the Conference button is on the right.

Allow you to use these functions on your phone.

8

Volume key

  • This key is located to the left of the keypad.

Allows you to increase or decrease the ring volume or the sound through the handset, headset, or speakerphone.

Press up on the rocker key to increase the volume. Press down on the rocker key to decrease the volume.

9

Standard 12-key layout

Allows you to use existing or familiar key positions. Key 5 has a nib.

10

Cisco IP Phone 7821, 7841, and 7861:

  • Headset, Speakerphone, and Mute buttons located to the right of the keypad.

  • The Speakerphone button is on the top, the Headset button is in the middle, and the Mute button is on the bottom.

Cisco IP Phone 7811:

  • Speakerphone and Mute buttons located to the right of the keypad.

  • The Speakerphone button is on the top and the Mute button is on the bottom.

  • The Cisco IP Phone 7811 does not contain a headset port nor have a Headset button.

Provide audible notification of the phone state:

  • Toggle the Headset, Mute, and Speakerphone buttons on and off to indicate the phone state.

  • Use the Headset button to toggle the headset on or off. When the headset is on, the button is lit.

  • Use the Mute button to toggle the microphone on or off. When the microphone is muted, the button is lit. When you turn on Mute, your phone beeps once; when you turn off Mute, your phone beeps twice.

  • Use the Speakerphone button to toggle the speakerphone on or off. When the speakerphone is on, the button is lit.

Adjustable Footstand

You can adjust the footstand to either of two viewing angles. This provides optimum phone display viewing and easy access to all buttons and keys.

Mobility-Impaired Accessibility Features for On-Premises Phones

Your phone comes with standard accessibility features that require little or no setup.

To check which phone model you have, press Applications and select Phone information. The Model number field shows your phone model.

Figure 5. Mobility-Impaired Accessibility Features—Cisco IP Phone 7861 Shown
Table 5. Mobility-Impaired Accessibility Features

Item

Accessibility Feature

Description

1

Lighted buttons on the Cisco IP Phone 7821, 7841, and 7861

The Cisco IP Phone 7811 does not have programmable line buttons.

Allow you to access the following features:

  • Phone lines and intercom lines (line buttons)

  • Speed-dial numbers (speed-dial buttons, including the speed-dial line status feature)

  • Web-based services, such as a personal address book

  • Phone features, such as privacy

Indicate your phone's status:

  • Green, steady—Active call or two-way intercom call

  • Green, flashing—Held call

  • Amber, steady—Privacy in use, one-way intercom call, DND active, or signed in to hunt group

  • Amber, flashing—Incoming call or reverting call

  • Red, steady—Remote line in use (shared line or line status)

2

Large buttons to access Applications, Messages, Contacts, Hold, Transfer, and Conference

Allow you to easily access your phone applications, voice messages, corporate and personal directories, and calling features.

3

Built-in speakerphone

Indicates whether the speakerphone is on or off. When the speakerphone is on, the button is lit.

4

Tactile-discernible buttons and functions, including a nib on Key 5

Allow you to easily locate your phone's keys. For example, Key 5 has a nib, which you can use to locate other key positions.

Mobility-Impaired Accessibility Features for Multiplatform Phones

Your phone comes with standard accessibility features that require little or no setup.

Figure 6. Mobility-Impaired Accessibility Features—Cisco IP Phone 7861 Shown
Table 6. Mobility-Impaired Accessibility Features

Item

Accessibility Feature

Description

1

Lighted buttons on the Cisco IP Phone 7821, 7841, and 7861

The Cisco IP Phone 7811 does not have programmable line buttons.

Allow you to access the following features:

  • Phone lines and intercom lines (line buttons)

  • Speed-dial numbers (speed-dial buttons, including the speed-dial line status feature)

  • Web-based services, such as a personal address book

  • Phone features, such as privacy

Indicate your phone's status:

  • Green—Line is idle.

  • Red, steady—Line is active or in use.

  • Red, flashing—Line is on hold or there is an inbound call.

  • Amber, steady—Line is unregistered (cannot be used).

2

Large buttons to access Applications, Messages, Contacts, Hold, Transfer, and Conference

Allow you to easily access your phone applications, voice messages, corporate and personal directories, and calling features.

3

Built-in speakerphone

Indicates whether the speakerphone is on or off. When the speakerphone is on, the button is lit.

4

Tactile-discernible buttons and functions, including a nib on Key 5

Allow you to easily locate your phone's keys. For example, Key 5 has a nib, which you can use to locate other key positions.

Cisco IP Phone 7800 Series Wall Mount Kit Accessibility

The Cisco IP Phone 7800 Series phones can be mounted on a wall using one of the following wall mount kits:

  • Wallmount Kit for Cisco IP Phone 7811—used to mount a single Cisco IP Phone 7811 on the wall.

  • Wallmount Kit for Cisco IP Phone 7800 Series—used to mount a single Cisco IP Phone 7821 or 7841 on the wall.

  • Wallmount Kit for Cisco IP Phone 7861—used to mount a single Cisco IP Phone 7961 on the wall.

The wall mount kits meet the 307.2 Protrusion Limits section of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ADAAG requirement for mounting a phone on the wall.

The following figure shows a side view of the phone with the wall mount kit installed.

Figure 7. Side View of the Phone Installed with the Wall Mount Kit

Third-Party Accessibility Applications

Cisco works closely with partners to provide solutions that complement the accessibility and usability of Cisco products and solutions. There are third-party applications such as real-time captioning on Cisco IP Phones, Text Telephones for the Deaf (TDD/TTY), Real Time Text (RTT), hearing/voice carry over (HCO/VCO), audible caller ID, inline amplifiers for handsets for louder call sound, "busy lights", audio/visual emergency notifications through Cisco IP Phones (supporting users with disabilities), etc.

Here's a link to a presentation about all the accessibility features of Cisco Unified Communications products, and some third party assistive technology which works with it:

http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en_us/about/responsibility/accessibility/products/Accessibility_Innovation_Cisco_Unified_Communications.pdf

For more information about third-party applications, contact your administrator.

Cisco Unified Communications Manager Accessibility Features

The following table provides information on the Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Cisco Unified CM) accessibility features. For more information, see the user guide applicable to your phone.

Accessibility Feature

Description

Configuration Requirements

Programmable Line Key (PLK)

You can use the line buttons to initiate, answer, or switch to a call on a particular line. A limited number of features, such as speed dial, extension mobility, privacy, Busy Lamp Field (BLF) speed dial, Do Not Disturb (DND), and Service URLs, get assigned to these buttons.

The PLK feature expands the features that can be assigned to the line buttons to include those that softkeys normally control; for example New Call, Call Back, End Call, and Forward All. When these features are configured on the line buttons, they are always visible, so you can have a “hard” New Call key.

You can access features easily that may be assigned to softkeys normally, which can be too small and difficult to use.

Standard on all Cisco IP Phones; configuration is required.

Your administrator assigns PLKs to your phone.

Audible Message Waiting Indicator (AMWI)

Cisco Unified IP Phones can send a line-specific stutter dial tone when a voice message is waiting on the phone. You hear it only when using the line with the waiting messages. When you go off hook (on the line for which a voice message has been left), the stutter dial tone is heard.

You can change the audible voice-message indicator setting by logging in to your phone support pages, and changing the audible message-indicator setting to On or Off.

Standard on all Cisco IP Phones.

Configuration is required:

  • administrator

  • phone support pages

Do Not Disturb (Alert and Reject)

Your administrator configures the phone to turn on all audible and visual notifications, turn on ringer only, or to choose the type of alert a phone should play for incoming calls.

Standard on all Cisco IP Phones; configuration is required.

Busy Lamp Field

You can use the Busy Lamp Field (BLF) feature to monitor the call state of a directory number (DN) associated with a speed-dial button, call log, or directory listing on the phone.

In addition, you can use BLF pickup to monitor incoming calls on a directory number.

When the DN receives an incoming call, the system alerts the you so that you can then pick up the call.

Standard on all Cisco IP Phones; configuration is required.

Phone support pages:

  • User Options web pages (Cisco Unified CM 9.1 and earlier)

  • Self Care Portal (Cisco Unified CM 10.0 and later)

The Cisco IP Phone is a network device that enables you to do the following actions:

  • Share information with other network devices in your company, including your personal computer.

  • Use your computer to log in to your phone support pages, where you can subscribe to services, set up speed dial and call forwarding numbers, configure ring settings, and create a personal address book.

Standard on all Cisco IP Phones; configuration is required.