A Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) that allows persons whose primary language is American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate through a communications assistant (CA) in sign language using videoconferencing equipment and an Internet Protocol (IP) based connection over the Internet. The signing person communicates in ASL to the CA, who voices the message to the hearing party, who responds to the CA, who then signs to the hearing-impaired caller. See also Internet, IP, TRS, and videoconference.