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contactScotland video relay service extended to third sector
contactScotland, the service that provides access to public services in British Sign Language (BSL), has been extended. BSL users will now be able to contact community groups, voluntary organisations, charities, social enterprises and co-operatives in their own language. Jim Edwards, chair of the UK Council on Deafness, said: “The UK Council on Deafness applauds the Scottish Government’s […]
Read MoreDWP trials access by telephone for sign language users
People who use British Sign Language (BSL) can now contact the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) via telephone. DWP has begun a six month pilot of a service that allows people whose first or only language is BSL to contact DWP about Attendance Allowance and Disability Living Allowance (65+), Disability Living Allowance (under 65) and […]
Read MoreOfcom publishes final report on live subtitling
Ofcom has published its fourth and final report on the quality of live subtitling. Although there appear to have been improvements in accuracy, latency and speed, some issues still need to be addressed. The report suggests trade-offs need to be struck when producing live subtitles, such as between speed and accuracy. Ofcom therefore intends to […]
Read MoreSummary and outcomes of telecoms conference
On 4 November 2015 the UK Council on Deafness hosted the conference ‘Fair exchange: developments in telecommunication for people who are deaf or have a hearing loss’. The aim of the conference was to celebrate the advances that had been made in advanced telephony services, including video relay services (VRS); and learn more about what […]
Read MoreNew on-demand video sign language service at Noble’s Hospital, Isle of Man
A new sign language interpretation service which uses an online video link has been officially launched at Noble’s Hospital. The initiative will provide an improved service for patients who are Deaf as well as offering better value for money. The service is a result of a collaboration between Noble’s Hospital, the Manx Deaf Society, the […]
Read MoreSign Solutions bring InterpretersLive! to the Isle of Man
PRESS RELEASE:- We bring InterpretersLive! to the Isle of Man We’re pleased to announce that we have won a contract to provide our services to the Isle of Man Government. The win will see us provide our video relay service to the Isle of Man’s Department of Health and Social Care, with the possibility of […]
Read MoreNext Generation Text Service
Deaf Access to Communications (DAC) have issued the following press release: DAC PRESS RELEASE (pdf) PRESS RELEASE: 25 March 2015 NEXT GENERATION TEXT SERVICE Ofcom has fined BT £800,000 for failing to provide an improved text-to-voice service between April and September last year. The service, called ‘Next Generation Text Service’, helps users have more natural conversations […]
Read MoreResearch with text relay users
Ofcom has commissioned Facts International and Opinion Leader to carry out research into users’ experience of text relay. As you know, text relay has been now been available via the NGT app for six months. (The service remains available via textphones, but to benefit from the enhanced features of NGT you need to use the app.) Ofcom is carrying out a two-stage research project to find out about […]
Read MorecontactSCOTLAND-BSL
NHS 24 online BSL Video Relay Interpreting Service pilot launches phase 2 NHS 24 online BSL Video Relay Interpreting Service pilot, which aims to improve access to health services for people in Scotland who are Deaf, deafened or hard of hearing will launch phase 2 of this pilot service on Monday 2nd March 2015. The […]
Read MoreChair of Deaf Access to Communications Appointed
Congratulations to Christopher Jones who has recently been appointed as the new Chair of Deaf Access to Communications (DAC). Christopher has taught, written and researched on a wide variety of areas, including relay services, and has many years experience supporting campaigns related to access for deaf. At the DAC Strategic Executive meeting held last week, Christopher stated: […]
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