There is a small amount of Dr. Lang’s own correspondence included in this collection, mostly correspondence with other researchers, librarians, and archivists on research requests for the book. But the bulk of the material covers the mid-1960s through 1980 and was created by the subjects of Dr. Lang’s book, particularly Robert Weitbrecht, James C. Marsters, and Andrew Saks.

Most of the collection consists of business correspondence and printed tapes of TTY conversations. Early TTY machines printed each exchange on a continuous roll of paper; TTYs with electronic display screens were only starting to come into use in the 1980s. There is also a large amount of technical memoranda written by Weitbrecht, which includes information on the use, repair, and upgrading of the TTY machines and the acoustic coupler. In the late 1970s, this also includes information on the Phonetype V, an improved version of the original Phonetype created by Weitbrecht.

Also present is a variety of manuals and training instructions for the old teletype machines that were originally used for TTY calls, dating from the 1940s through early 1960s.

The collection includes a variety of news clippings, mostly articles from mainstream newspapers and magazines on how TTYs opened telephone service for the deaf. There is a small amount of advertising material (e.g. fliers, brochures, catalogs) for APCOM, Essco, and other TTY manufacturers. Also present are some TTY number directories and a limited amount of other materials produced by TDI and other groups founded to promote TTY use in the deaf community.

Of interest is correspondence covering Andrea Saks’ work promoting TTY use in Britain in the mid-1970s, including articles and correspondence on the first transatlantic TTY call in 1975. The collection also includes some material on the competition between APCOM and I. Lee Brody’s Essco, particularly on Weitbrecht’s claims that Essco was infringing his patents for the Phonetype.