Reaching Out More Relay Services in Total Conversation

Reaching Out More: Relay Services in Total Conversation Jim Kyle & Chris Coleman Centre for Deaf Studies University of Bristol 2011

Inclusive World? • Telephones for over 100 years but most Deaf have no means of remote communication in their own language • Text messaging is asynchronous & clumsy & foreign • Interpreters difficult to book & expensive • No direct emergency service access

REACH 112 – Total Conversation • Choose video, voice or text or any combination – new definition of telecoms

2009 -2012 REACH 112 (Responding to all citizens needing help) a three-year project partially funded by the European Commission under the ICT PSP CIP programme. 22 partners from 8 countries, including user organisations and major global telecommunications companies – Vodafone (Spain), Siemens, France Telecom, Nokia. Large scale: € 8. 8 m UK component: € 2. 4 m www. reach 112. eu

Project Aims • Deployment of Voice, Video and Real Time Text – Total Conversation (TC) – to all end users who have difficulty with voice telephony • Person to Person TC Telecoms Service • Provision of TC relay service • Access to Emergency Services through TC network • Monitor and report on key performance indicators • Evaluate service and propose a business plan for trans-Europe Service

UK partners & roles • Aupix Ltd – infrastructure creation & technical support to users, personal data registration & management, software implementation and updates • RNID (now renamed Action on Hearing Loss) – Deaf and hard of hearing users support, dissemination, interface to Government, and RTT applications & interface to TC services • Avon Fire and Rescue Service – emergency call centre TC implementation, advice, training, interface to emergency services • Avon and Somerset Police - emergency call centre TC implementation, key training developer & provider for relay service • Centre for Deaf Studies – UK pilot lead, meetings, support to partners, user recruitment, consultation & personal, home and online support, relay service development and project evaluation

www. reach 112. co. uk for information on project

website for download – www. myfriendcentral. com Sign language explanation Text captions for hard of hearing Feature list for software

Available applications § Fixed line videophones to TC standard § Free download for PC, laptop § Specially adapted netbooks – for ease of use and portability § my. Friend mobile on Android smartphones §Inter-operability with Real Time Text clients §Inter-operability with existing textphones and relay

Relay Service Models in use in REACH 112 UK Models are reversible – ie hearing voice caller to Deaf end-user Relay agents can see/manage all incoming calls 24 hour service – defaulting to text relay (a) when out of reach of 3 G and (b) when no TC agent available Models also tested for speech/lip-reading and speech-to-text agents

Simple Sign-Relay Model REACH 112 UK national pilot my. Friend mobile (smartphone) or my. Friend (PC) Relay Centre: sign language or text or speech To voice phone users Centre-based relay agent

Sign-Relay Grid Model Multiple TC callers REACH 112 UK national pilot Relay Central Relay agents in different locations

Independent Sign-Relay Grid Model Relay Central Closed client base – uses resource Free agent Open client base – shares resource; can be agency

Emergency service access §Major European priority is access to 112 … for ALL §REACH 112 is testing different models §With partners in police and fire services §And discussions in appropriate emergency service forum

Emergency access: UK Model 1 UK National pilot Relay Centre: sign language 250 PSAPs in UK PSAP call takers Despatch National voice call handling

Emergency access: UK Model 2 UK National pilot Voice, text, gesture signing Lip-speech; speech to text Ho. H text or speech Relay service invoked as option controlled by PSAP – advantages – much faster response time; direct sight of incident Local emergency centre(fire, ambulance or Police) with TC capability Relay Centre: sign language

Emergency access: UK Model 3 signer Hoh – text. speech TC call handling centre with a deaf operator (sign & text) and a relay agent(TC)

Relay Service Issues for REACH 112 • Must engage with existing professional bodies • Appropriate preparation (a) establishment of code of practice for work in a distributed relay network (b) establishment of the code of ethics of operation (c) provision of training to relay agents for generic relay (d) advanced training for emergency service call taking (e) training for emergency service call handling staff

Actions incorporating ethical issues • Persuade Deaf and hard of hearing users to embrace a new technology and to become so familiar with it that it becomes part of daily life – non-trivial – we need to remove cost barriers • Manage expectations and develop a code of behaviour and etiquette in end users • Provide appropriate help and support – online and onsite • Ensure access to all information especially terms and conditions in sign language and text

Evaluation Phase (2011 -2012) • detailed monitoring and evaluation programme across 5 countries • This examines all traffic, effective use, case studies, user responses • The purpose is to establish the evidence base for governments and commercial bodies to implement TC

Progress in REACH 112 • Over 1300 registrations (software/hardware users) • Over 3, 000 calls per month on my. Friend network • Upward trajectory in all areas – P 2 P, relay services … in line with planning • Emergency service training underway for relay agents and call takers • Online resources in BSL and in English text – Help presentations in speech, sign and text

Structured quantitative and user qualitative data collection “Great to have this facility that does not need a special set number before the actual phone number. Myfriend has now become my friend! Type talk? No more- I hope. ” “My mother said this is much better, more straight forward to have a conversation instead of Type talk. She prefers to use this from now on” “The clear background used by the interpreter makes communication lovely. ” “Wow! The picture is crisp clear. I am excited about this becoming a permanent service. ” “Beautiful communication – So lovely!”

REACH 112 - 2012 • Continues to extend user access (for all) • Tests and evaluates a number of models for relay and emergency services access • Provides training to end users, relay agents and call takers • Measures benefits in a wide ranging evaluation programme • Provides reports and results to EU public bodies