Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc. (TDI) would like to send condolences to the friends and family of Paul Taylor upon learning of his passing..  Paul passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his loving wife, Sally, and their children and grandchildren on January 11.  Paul Taylor leaves behind a legacy that TDI values and greatly cherishes.  

Paul Taylor began his TDI journey by forming the first local telecommunications advocacy group in St. Louis and was instrumental in establishing the 3rd relay service in the country which later became Relay Missouri.  

While in St. Louis, Missouri, Paul chaired a committee that created a manual on repairing TTYs titled “Typewriters Made Easy”, better known as the Red Book.

Not only did Paul work with the FCC on developing the original TRS rules, he also created the original regulations for the FCC on Title IV of the Americans with Disabilities Act regarding Telecommunication Relay Services. 

Eric Kaika, CEO of TDI shares “Our hearts go to Sally, and their children. We were very fortunate to have wonderful accessibility activist like Paul. We will always remember him as part of the core group that made the voice phone lines accessible for the deaf and hard of hearing community.”  

TDI mourns the loss of an important member of our fight for equal access.  We are proud to consider Paul Taylor a cherished member of our community.  We must stand tall in the face of this sad news by remembering his significant service to the deaf and hard of hearing community. 

The Missouri Commission of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing collaborated with DEAF, Inc. and created a video spotlighting Paul Taylor.