Contents

• Accessibility Features for the Cisco Unified IP Phone 8961, 9951, and 9971
• Hearing-Impaired Accessibility Features
• Vision-Impaired and Blind Accessibility Features
• Mobility-Impaired Features
• Wall Mount Kits
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager Accessibility Features
• Third-Party Accessibility Applications

First Published: March 25, 2010

Last Updated: August 09, 2017

Accessibility Features for the Cisco Unified IP Phone 8961, 9951, and 9971

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This document contains information about the accessibility features that are standard on the Cisco Unified IP Phone 8961, 9951, and 9971. These phones provide accessibility features for the blind, and the hearing, vision, and mobility impaired. Because many of these features are standard, they can be used by users with disabilities without requiring any special configuration.

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 called the Self Care Portal. For Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Release 9.1 and earlier), these pages are called the User Options web pages.

For additional information, see the phone User Guide, located here: http:/​/​www.cisco.com/​c/​en/​us/​support/​collaboration-endpoints/​unified-ip-phones-9900-series/​products-user-guide-list.html

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

Accessibility features for the hearing impaired are supported on the Cisco Unified IP Phone 8961, 9951, and 9971.

The following figure shows the features that are standard for the hearing impaired on the phones and no setup is required, except where exceptions are noted. The table following the figure describes the features. Note the additional features described below the table.

Figure 1. Hearing-Impaired Features—Cisco Unified IP Phone 8961 Shown

Table 1 Hearing-Impaired Accessibility Features

Item	Accessibility Feature	Description
1	Visual Message Waiting Indicator (handset)	Viewable from 360 degrees, this visual indicator also provides an Audible Message Waiting Indicator (AMWI). Users change the voice message light on their handset and the audible voice message indicator on their phone by logging in to their phone support pages, and accessing the message indicator settings. Users change the setting to on or off. Standard on all phones; users and administrators can make changes.
2	Visual notification of phone state	For visual notification of the phone state: Toggle the Mute and Speakerphone buttons on and off to indicate the state of the phone. 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. Standard on all phones; no set up is required.
	Inline amplifier support (handset)	Cisco Unified IP Phone handsets support third-party inline amplifiers, which users attach to the handset and cord and sit between the handset and the IP phone. Cisco Unified IP Phones support the following third-party inline amplifiers: Clarity HA-40 Inline Amplifier for Corded Phone Plantronics EHA40 Inline Amplifier Standard on all phones; no set up is required.
	Adjustable ringtone, pitch, and volume	Users can adjust the ringtone, pitch, and volume by: Using the Applications > Preferences menu on their phone. Adjusting the volume level for the phone ringer: while the handset is in the cradle, and the headset and speakerphone buttons are off, press the Volume button to increase the volume. Standard on all phones; users and administrators can make changes.
	Hearing aid compatible (HAC) handset	Cisco Unified IP Phone handsets support the following 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 achieved by using industry-standard inline handset amplifiers Standard on all phones; no set up is required.
	Acoustic coupled TTY support (handset)	Cisco Unified IP Phones support the following 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 Standard on all Cisco Unified IP Phones. For information about setting up TTY, contact your administrator.

Vision-Impaired and Blind Accessibility Features

Accessibility features for the vision impaired and blind are supported on the Cisco Unified IP Phone 8961, 9951, and 9971.

Figure 2. Vision-Impaired Accessibility Features

Table 2 Vision-Impaired Accessibility Features

Accessibility Feature		Description
1	High-contrast visual and audible alert of incoming call	Cisco Unified IP Phones provide an audible alert, and the handset provides a visual alert when the phone receives an incoming call. The handset light strip flashes during incoming calls and stays lit when a voice-mail message is received. Standard on all phones. Set up is required.
2	Back-lit LCD screen and programmable contrast	Users with low vision can adjust the contrast. Standard on all phones; no set up is required.
3	Session buttons and programmable feature buttons	The session buttons are located to the right of the LCD and the programmable feature buttons are located to the left of the LCD. Users can use the programmable feature buttons to initiate, answer, or switch to a call on a particular line. Features, such as Speed Dial, Privacy, Line Status, Do Not Disturb (DND), and Service URLs, can be assigned to these buttons by the administrator. The programmable feature buttons illuminate to indicate status: Amber—Ringing call on this line Green—Active or held call on this line Red—Shared line in use remotely Session buttons are used to perform tasks such as answering a call, or resuming a held call. The session buttons illuminate to indicate status: Flashing amber—Ringing call Solid green—In progress call Pulsing green—Held call Solid red—Shared line in use remotely Pulsing red—Shared line call put on hold remotely Note    The positions of the session buttons and feature buttons can be reversed on phones that use a locale with a right-to-left reading orientation, such as Hebrew or Arabic. Set up is required. Your system administrator sets up programmable line buttons to your phone.
4	Softkeys	Large buttons immediately below the LCD provide access to special functions. The functions display on the LCD. Standard on all phones; no set up is required.
5	Large buttons to access Applications, Messages, and Contacts	Located to the upper left quadrant of the phone body, three large buttons provide to easy access to: Applications Contacts Messages The Applications and Contacts buttons are above the Messages button, with the Applications button on the left. The Messages button is the single button in the cluster. Standard on all phones; no set up is required.
6	Back, Release buttons	Located above the Navigation cluster, the Back button is to the left of the Release (End Call) button. Standard on all phones; no set up is required.
7	Navigation cluster	To the right of the keypad, the Navigation cluster includes a 4-way rocker and the Select button. Use the 4-way rocker to move up and down or right and left on the phone LCD. In the center of the cluster is the Select button. Standard on all phones; no set up is required
8	Large buttons for Transfer, Conference, and Hold	Located below the Navigation cluster, three large buttons provide easy access to: Transfer Conference Hold The Hold button is the single button in the cluster. The Transfer and Conference buttons are located above the Hold button, with the Transfer button on the left and the Conference button on the right. Standard on all phones; no set up is required.
9	Standard 12-key layout and grouping of functions	Cisco Unified IP Phone keypads provide standard key layout, which enables users to use existing or familiar key positions (including a nib on Key 5). Standard on all phones; no set up is required.
10	Audible notification of phone state: Headset, Speakerphone, and Mute buttons	This cluster of three buttons is located at the bottom right of the phone. The Headset button and the Speakerphone button are in the top row of this cluster of buttons, with the Headset button on the left. The Mute button is located below the Headset and Speakerphone buttons. For audible notification of the phone state, users can: Toggle the Mute and Speakerphone buttons on and off to indicate the state of the phone. 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. Standard on all phones; no set up is required.
11	Volume key	Located above the Headset, Speakerphone, and Mute buttons, the horizontal Volume key allows the user to increase or decrease the volume of the ringer or the sound through the handset, headset, or speakerphone. Press the right side of the rocker key to increase the volume. Press the left side of the rocker key to decrease the volume. Standard on all phones; no set up is required

Adjustable LCD

Users can adjust the LCD on the phone to provide optimal phone display viewing and comfortable access to all buttons and keys.

Mobility-Impaired Features

Accessibility features for the mobility impaired are supported on the Cisco Unified IP Phone 8961, 9951, and 9971. The features shown in the figure are described in the following table.

Figure 3. Mobility-Impaired Features—Cisco Unified IP Phone 8961 Shown

Table 3 Mobility-Impaired Features

Accessibility Feature		Description
1	Well-spaced, illuminated buttons enable easy operation	Depending on set up, programmable buttons (the left set of buttons) allow users to access: Phone lines and intercom lines (line buttons) Speed-dial numbers (speed-dial buttons, including the BLF speed-dial feature) Web-based services (for example, a Personal Address Book button) Phone features (for example, Privacy) Session buttons (the right set of buttons) illuminate to indicate status: Green, steady—Active call or two-way intercom call Green, flashing—Held call Amber, steady—Privacy in use, one-way intercom call, Do Not Disturb (DND) active, or signed in to Hunt Group Amber, flashing—Incoming call or reverting call Red, steady—Remote line in use (shared line or BLF status) Standard on all phones; no set up is required.
2	Large buttons to access Applications, Messages, Contacts, Hold, Transfer, and Conference	Large buttons provide to easy access to phone applications, voice messages, corporate and personal directories, and calling features. Standard on all phones; no set up is required.
3	Built-in speakerphone	Users can toggle the Speakerphone button on and off to indicate the state of the phone. When the speakerphone is on, the button is lit. Standard on all phones; no set up is required.
4	Tactile-discernible buttons and functions (including a nib on Key 5)	Cisco Unified IP Phone keypads provide the tactile discernible locator, which enables users to use existing or familiar key positions that can be easily located from the “bump” on Key 5. Users do not have to learn new key positions. Standard on all phones; no set up is required.
5	Dedicated headset jack that enables Auto-Answer function	Users can use a dedicated headset jack that enables auto-answer feature support on either the speakerphone or headset. Incoming calls are then automatically connected after a ring or two. Standard on all phones; set up is required.

Wall Mount Kits

The Cisco Unified IP Phone 8961, 9951, and 9971 can be mounted on a wall using one of the following wall mount kits:

• ADA Non-Lockable Wall Mount Kit for 8961 Series and 9900 Series IP Phones—used to mount a single phone on the wall.

• ADA Non-Lockable Wall Mount Kit for 8961 Series and 9900 Series IP Phones plus a single Key Expansion Module—used to mount a single phone with one attached key expansion module on a 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 4. Side View of the Phone Installed with the Wall Mount Kit

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.

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