Surveys of individuals CS-11-309 through 312, 326, 328, 336

ACCESSIBILITY SURVEY FOR DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING TAX PAYERS

The purpose of this survey is to gain insights from the deaf and hard of hearing taxpaying population to assess their ability to access the IRS to resolve their federal tax concerns.

1. Have you contacted the IRS within the last year?

YES NO (Go to question 22)

2. Which of the following is most closely related or describes why you contacted the IRS:

   1. Needed a form or publication

   2. Received notice/correspondence from the IRS

   3. Needed return preparation assistance

   4. Getting answers to tax law questions

   5. Getting tax refund information

   6. Getting prior year return information (i.e., to obtain a transcript or record of tax information from a prior tax return).

   7. Getting information about payments (i.e., where to send a payment or how to establish an installment agreement).

   8. Applying for a Taxpayer ID Number or an Employer ID Number

   9. Other tax problem that you tried to get help; please specify: _________________________

3. What form of communication did you use to contact the IRS?

1. IRS Website www.irs.gov

2. IRS Website- Chat Mode/ Instant Messaging

3. IRS Toll-Free Telephone

4. IRS Walk-in Service (face-to-face)

5. Volunteer Service (VITA-Volunteer Income Tax Assistance or TCE- Tax Counseling for the Elderly)

6. Other: _______________________________________

4. Did you encounter any challenges when contacting the IRS (regardless of your method of communication)?

YES NO

5. What was the result of your contact?

Note: A ‘Successful’ result is defined as

• Getting through to the IRS using your communication technology (i.e., TTY, VRS, CapTel )of choice

• Your question was answered correctly, easily, and respectfully

• You receive the information you requested

Successful Partially Successful Unsuccessful

6. If the reason for your call was not successfully resolved, which of the following applies:

1. Challenges with getting through to the IRS using your technology of choice

2. Your question was not answered correctly, easily, and respectfully

c. You did not receive the information you requested

d. Other, please specify ______________________________________

The following questions are intended to understand your ability to access the different types of IRS services. These include:

• Walk-in (TAC- Tax Assistance Centers) and other types of face-to-face service

• Telephone service

• IRS Website and IRS Website chat mode

IRS Walk-in service (face to face)

7 Have you tried to locate a local IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center (TAC)? (www.irs.gov/localcontacts/index.html)

YES NO (Go to question 11)

8. Describe your experience when you sought Walk-in (face to face) service?

9. Please select one of the following ways you communicated with the Walk-in (face to face) office representative:

1. Writing to each other

2. Talking to each other

3. Writing myself and talking by representative (lip reading)

4. Talking myself and writing by representative

5. Using sign language by both

6. Using sign language interpreter

7. Other, please specify__________________________________

10. Based on the selection below, what recommendation would enhance your experience with IRS face-to-face interactions? Please select all that may apply

1. No recommendation because I had a good experience

2. Recommend scheduling appointment

3. Arrange for a qualified American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter

4. Require Walk-in office IRS CSR (Customer Service Representatives) attend deaf and hard of hearing awareness training

5. Provide a videophone in the walk-in office

6. Hire Deaf employees to be IRS CSR

7. N/A

8. Other recommendations, please specify ___________________________________

Volunteer Services

11. If you contacted the IRS during the last year, have you sought assistance from a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site?

YES NO (Go to question 15)

12. If you answered YES to question #11, did you request an ASL interpreter?

YES NO

13. If you answered YES to question #12, were you provided a qualified ASL interpreter by VITA or TCE?

1. VITA and the interpreter was qualified

2. VITA but the interpreter was not qualified

3. TCE and the interpreter was qualified

4. TCE but the interpreter was not qualified

14. If you answered NO to question #11, how did you communicate with the IRS Volunteer in preparing your tax return?

1. Qualified ASL interpreter is arranged and provided

2. Brought a family member or friend to interpret

3. Wrote each other to communicate

4. Contact VITA through Videophone with deaf tax preparing volunteers

5. N/A

6. Other, please specify______________________________________

IRS Toll-free telephone

15. Describe your experience when you contacted the IRS during the last year, using the toll-free telephone, please select all that apply:

1. I had a good experience when contacting the IRS through the toll-free telephone

2. It was difficult to understand what the IRS CSR said through TTY service

3. The IRS CSR did not understand my question through TTY service

4. The IRS CSR was not able to assist because a third party was involved

5. N/A

6. Other, please specify_________________________________________
   
   
   

IRS Website (www.irs.gov)

16. If you contacted the IRS during the last year, using IRS Website (www.irs.gov), did you encounter any challenges with the IRS Website, such as the following:

1. Website information (wording) is hard to understand

2. Website navigation is difficult

3. Search engine is difficult

4. N/A

5. Other, please specify _________________________________________

17. What would enhance your experience, using IRS Website (www.irs.gov)? Choose from the following:

1. Make the information (wording) on the website easier to understand

2. Make the navigation easier

3. Expand the information base on the website

4. Improve the search engine

5. Have a webpage dedicated to users with disabilities

6. N/A

7. Other, please specify: __________________________________________

IRS Website-Chat/Instant Messaging

18. If you contacted the IRS during the last year, using the IRS Chat/Instant Messaging, did you encounter any of the following challenges? Please select all that may apply.

1. Difficult to understand what the Representative typed

2. The Representative could not understand my question

3. The Representative could not find the answer or information I requested

4. I did not receive a response from the Representative

5. Chat/Instant Messaging was not working

6. N/A

7. Other, please specify:____________________________________________

Video Relay Services

19. If you contacted the IRS during the last year, did you use Video Relay Service (VRS)?

YES NO (Go to question 22)

20. Did you use the Federal Relay Service or Other Video Relay Service?

Federal Relay Other Video Relay Services

21. If you used a video relay service and encountered challenges, please select all that may apply.

a. IRS CSR would not provide service because I was using a different video relay service

b. IRS CSR did not provide information or instructions about using the Federal Video Relay Service

c. N/A

d. Other, please specify___________________________________________

Other

22. What recommendations would you suggest to improve accessibility with the following types of IRS services?

• Walk-in and other types of face-to-face service

___________________________________________________

• IRS Customer Service Representative over phone or videophone

___________________________________________________

• Telephone or TTY service

___________________________________________________

• IRS Website and IRS Website chat mode

___________________________________________________

23. Please identify yourself as one of the following:

a.       Deaf (Please select any that apply):

       i. ASL (American Sign Language)

       ii. MSL (Mexican Sign Language)

iii. Signed English

iv. Late-Deafened (little or no sign language)

v. Other (please specify) ____________________

b. Hard of Hearing:

i. Signing- primary language

ii. Limited signing

iii. No Signing

c. Deaf-Blind/ Low-Visioned:

i. tactile interpreting

ii. close vision interpreting

iii. reading in Braille only

iv. adjusting fonts and style on web pages

v. using a special display device

iv. send a request for paid transcription to Braille

vii. other: __________________________

4. Other, please specify ____________________________

24. Now that we have explored your accessibility experience with the different ways to contact the IRS, what is your preferred and most effective way to access the IRS?

a. Face to face: Qualified Sign Language interpreter

b. TTY/TDD

c. Video Based Technology - VRS (Video Relay Service)

Web- Based Technology:

d.IPR (Internet Protocol Relay),

e.RCC (Relay Conference Calling)

f.Web Chat/ Instant Messaging

g. Videophone to Videophone (VP2VP)

h. Caption Telephone (CAPTEL)

i. Voice Carryover

j. Encrypted Mail

k. Postal letter

l. Fax

m. Through a paid third party such as tax preparers, CPAs, tax attorney, etc.

n. Through a volunteer party such as family member, trusted friends, co-workers, VITA

o. Other, please specify ____________________________

25. If you will, please provide any additional thoughts or ideas on how IRS may be fully accessible to Deaf/HOH taxpayers.

If we need to follow up with you for more information, and you are willing, please provide your contact information below:

Name:

Email address:

Videophone #

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