Accessibility Features

The Cisco Unified IP Conference Phone 8831 and 8831NR provides 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 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.

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

Hearing Impaired Accessibility Features

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

Table 1. Hearing-Impaired Accessibility Features

Item

Accessibility Feature

Description

1

Visual message-waiting indicator

When you have a message, a message is displayed on the phone screen. Your phone also provides an audible message-waiting indicator.

To change the audible voice-message indicator, sign in to the Self Care portal 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 phone state

The phone screen displays the current state and the LED bar displays:

  • Green, solid—Active call

  • Green, flashing—Incoming call

  • Green, pulsing—Held call

  • Red, solid—Muted call

3

Adjustable ringtone, pitch, and volume

  • Select Applications > Preferences to change the ringtone.

  • Adjust the volume level for the phone ring. When not in a call, press Volume to raise or lower the volume.

Your administrator can also change your settings.

Vision-Impaired and Blind Accessibility Features

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

Table 2. Vision-Impaired and Blind Accessibility Features

Item

Accessibility Feature

Description

1, 11

High-contrast visual and audible alert of incoming call

Alerts you to an incoming call. The LED flashes during incoming calls.

Colors indicate your phone's status:

  • Green, solid—Active call

  • Green, flashing—Incoming call

  • Green, pulsing—Held call

  • Red, solid—Muted call

2, 8, 10

Mute button

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

3

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

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 bar and the Select button)

  • The Navigation cluster is located to the right of the keypad.

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

6

Standard 12-key layout

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

7

Volume key

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

Allows you to increase or decrease the ring volume or the sound.

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

Mobility-Impaired Accessibility Features

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

Table 3. Mobility-Impaired Accessibility Features

Item

Accessibility Feature

Description

1

LED

Indicates your phone's status:

  • Green, solid—Active call

  • Green, flashing—Incoming call

  • Green, pulsing—Held call

  • Red, solid—Muted call

2

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 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.

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.