DEAFBC

MEDIA ADVISORY

Media are invited to attend the official launch of Canada’s first-ever national Video Relay Service (VRS) – SRV Canada VRS.

SRV Canada VRS will provide Deaf and Hard of Hearing Canadians who use sign language, both American Sign Language (ASL) and Langue des signes québécoise (LSQ), with Internet-based VRS tools to communicate better and give them greater independence to connect with family and friends, and to conduct day-to-day activities. It simulates, as closely as possible, a conversation between two hearing people.

Demonstrations will be made of the first SRV Canada VRS calls.

Participating in the event are the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, Jean-Pierre Blais, Chairman of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, and Sue Decker, Executive Director and CEO of the Canadian Administrator of VRS (CAV), Inc.

Launch details:

Date: Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: Canadian Museum of History
Grand Hall
100 rue Laurier
Gatineau, QC

Confirmation of attendance
Media must confirm attendance before the event and present themselves at the Registration Table located at the escalator leading to the Grand Hall of the Canadian Museum of History. To confirm participation, contact:

Shawn Murphy
murphy@fusecommunications.ca
(613) 857-7443

Specialized 9-1-1 Text Service Now Available for Deaf and Speech Impaired Residents

Today regional districts in BC’s central and southern interior announced the availability of a specialized text service that allows people who are Deaf/Deaf-Blind, Hard-of-Hearing or Speech Impaired (DHHSI) to communicate with 9-1-1 call-takers by text.

This service is called Text with 9-1-1 (T9-1-1) and is being delivered by E-Comm—the emergency communications centre responsible for answering 9-1-1 calls in the central and southern interior—in partnership with local emergency service agencies. The service is now available throughout the Central Okanagan, North Okanagan, Central Kootenay, Columbia-Shuswap, Okanagan-Similkameen, Thompson-Nicola, East Kootenay, Kootenay-Boundary and Squamish-Lillooet regional districts.

“T9-1-1 is a vital connection to police, fire and ambulance and enables quick communication between a Deaf caller and emergency services,” remarked Gordon Rattray, Treasurer of the Okanagan Valley Association of the Deaf (OVAD). “In the past Deaf people were limited by communication barriers and would have to use phone relay or TTY (telephone typewriter) which would take five or ten minutes longer. The OVAD is very excited to have T9-1-1 in the interior regional districts and we look forward to helping promote the availability of this service with the DHHSI community. We’re proud of this enhancement to emergency services that E-Comm provides.”

T9-1-1 allows any DHHSI person who has pre-registered their cellphone with their wireless carrier to communicate with police, fire and ambulance call-takers via text during an emergency. Callers must first place a voice call to 9-1-1 in order to establish a voice network connection and initiate the special messaging technology.

“This new enhanced level of service is something we’ve eagerly anticipated being able to provide for residents with hearing or speech impairments who need help from police, fire or ambulance services,” said Gail Given, Chair of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. “It is important for people in the Central Okanagan DHHSI community who have not yet registered for this service to do so now, and for them to learn more about how the service works and what to expect should they need to use T9-1-1 during an emergency.”

When E-Comm receives a 9-1-1 call from a DHHSI person who has pre-registered for the service, an alert will trigger at the 9-1-1 centre to indicate there is a DHHSI caller on the line. The 9-1-1 call-taker will then launch the special messaging system, allowing them to communicate with the caller through a special text session. This will ensure they get the emergency service they need.

“Being able to communicate with 9-1-1 using this technology allows for greater access to important 9-1-1 lifelines in the event of an emergency,” added David Guscott, E-Comm president and CEO. “E-Comm is proud to be able to offer this enhanced level of service to our partners in the central and southern interior of B.C.”

It is important to emphasize that this service is only available to the DHHSI community.

Voice calling remains the only way to communicate with 9-1-1 services for a person who is not Deaf/Deaf-Blind, Hard-of-Hearing or Speech Impaired. Text messages sent directly to the digits “9-1-1” do not reach emergency services anywhere in Canada. Text with 9-1-1 for the public-at-large is anticipated in the future as the nationwide 9-1-1 infrastructure evolves.

Members of the DHHSI community should visit www.TextWith911.ca to register their cellphone with their wireless service provider and to learn more about how the system works.

(September 21, 2016)

Media are invited to SAVE THE DATE to attend the official launch of Canada’s first-ever national Video Relay Service (VRS) – SRV Canada VRS – on Wednesday, September 28, 2016.

Once launched, SRV Canada VRS will provide Deaf and Hard of Hearing Canadians who use sign language with Internet-based VRS tools to communicate better and give them greater independence to connect with family and friends, and to conduct day-to-day activities. It simulates, as closely as possible, a conversation between two hearing people.

Attending the launch:
The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities
Jean-Pierre Blais, Chairman of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
Sue Decker, Executive Director and CEO of the Canadian Administrator of VRS (CAV), Inc.

Launch details:
Date: Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: Canadian Museum of History
Grand Hall
100 rue Laurier
Gatineau, QC

RSVP by Friday, September 23, 2016.

For more information about the event, contact:
Shawn Murphy
murphy@fusecommunications.ca
(613) 857-7443

Visit: www.srvcanadavrs.ca

Seats still available for the October Access to Transportation Trades Program

VCC is still accepting applications for the upcoming Access to Transportation Program starting October 3, 2016. If you are interested in taking the program, please contact Nigel Scott at:
Email: nscott@vcc.ca
Text/FaceTime:604-328-8742
Glide: Interpreting Services VCC
Phone:604.871.7000, ext. 7518