Georgia Relay, the free public service that enables people who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind or have difficulty speaking to place and receive telephone calls, welcomes the Villa Rica Public Library as the newest Georgia Relay Partner. Staff at the library completed their Georgia Relay Partner training during the summer, and are now equipped to place and receive calls from Georgia Relay users.
 
A member of the West Georgia Regional Library System, the Villa Rica Public Library is home to thousands of books and receives 75,000 visits each year. The library also offers access to important resources, summer reading programs for kids, and events and programs for community members of all ages.
 
The Georgia Relay Partner program seeks to improve communication between local businesses and residents who use Georgia Relay to place telephone calls. Georgia Relay Partners receive free training and materials to learn to answer and place Relay calls with confidence, making it easier to serve customers who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind or who have difficulty speaking. Georgia Relay Partners also receive marketing materials to let Georgia Relay users know the company is Relay friendly.
 
“Making a Relay call to a business such as a library can be frustrating,” said Brendan Underwood, Georgia Relay outreach coordinator. “Employees don’t always understand how Relay works and hang up the phone. The goal of the Georgia Relay Partner program is to eliminate this confusion and help Relay users connect with these businesses. Now, the Villa Rica Public Library is ready to receive Relay calls and help the community of Georgia Relay users gain access to all of their resources.”
 
“Being a Georgia Relay Partner is very important to us,” said Library Manager Evette Bridges. “Our goal is to help spread information and resources to our community, and we’re looking forward to being able to broaden our reach.”